🔗 Share this article

The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?

Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.

Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.

The Youngster's Unexpected Presence

One individual remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.

He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."

Finding His True Position

Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn