The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
