The mood at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
