The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
