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The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?

Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.

Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback

A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.

Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."

Discovering His Natural Fit

Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn