The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
