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The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Unraveling?

Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.

The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.

Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return

At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.

He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."

Uncovering His Natural Fit

Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign 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