The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
