The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
