The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
