The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
