The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
