The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
