The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
