🔗 Share this article

The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Falling Apart?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.

The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence

One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.

Cancellieri arrived in the first place 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, all but one 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 but then not selecting him."

Finding His True Position

It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn