The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
