The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
