The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
