The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors 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, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
