The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
