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The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Coming Unstitched?

Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he admitted that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.

Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.

The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback

A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.

Cancellieri arrived in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."

Discovering His Best Role

It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn