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The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Unraveling?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or self-destructing.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback

A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.

He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."

Finding His Best Role

Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn