The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
