The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
