The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
