🔗 Share this article Cancellieri Displays Brief Sparks of Genius in Positive Aspect for Struggling Lazio The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito. The Campaign Coming Unstitched? Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him. Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing. Matteo's Surprising Comeback One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements. He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently." Finding His Best Role Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn