The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
