The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined 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 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
