The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
