The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
