The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
