The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
