The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
