The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
