The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
