The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
