The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
