The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
