The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He completed 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 signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority 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 "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
