The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
