The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
