The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, before he to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
