The mood at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
