The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches 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, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
