The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn