The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
