The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
