The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
