The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
