The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
