The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
