The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
