The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
