The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
