The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. Their former 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."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
