The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
