The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
