The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
