The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off 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 was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
