The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
