The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
