The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
