The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
