The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
