The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, 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 would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
