The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
