The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product 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 club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
