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The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.

A Season Falling Apart?

Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.

Lazio were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback

A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.

He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."

Discovering His Best Role

Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn