The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, 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 being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
