The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. 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 wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
