🔗 Share this article

The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated 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 falling short in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback

One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.

He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."

Uncovering His True Position

Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn