The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
