The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
