The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those as a substitute. The ex- 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."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
