The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
