🔗 Share this article

The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Coming Unstitched?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.

Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.

Matteo's Unforeseen Return

At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.

Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."

Uncovering His True Position

Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn