The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic 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. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting 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 lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
