The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
