The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
