The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
