The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
