The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
