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The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Coming Unstitched?

Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Roman club appeared equally disorganized in their performances as behind the scenes, beating 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 determine if they're getting better or collapsing.

Matteo's Unforeseen Return

At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.

Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."

Discovering His True Position

It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn