The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
