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The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?

Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or collapsing.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence

At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.

He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."

Uncovering His Best Role

Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn