The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
