The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
