The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
