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The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.

A Season Coming Unstitched?

Had their campaign unraveling, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.

The Roman club became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.

Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback

At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.

He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."

Discovering His True Position

Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn