The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
