The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
