The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and digital innovation across global markets.
