The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
