The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
