The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
