The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
