The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
