The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
