🔗 Share this article

The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Coming Unstitched?

Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.

Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback

One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.

He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."

Uncovering His Best Role

It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn