The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, 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 failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself 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
