The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
