The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
