The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 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 club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
