The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning 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 weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
