The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
