The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
