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The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.

A Season Unraveling?

Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.

The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.

Matteo's Unexpected Return

At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.

He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."

Uncovering His Best Role

It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn