The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
