The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he admitted that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
