The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
