The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
