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The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.

A Season Coming Unstitched?

Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever a thread holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.

The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.

Matteo's Surprising Return

At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.

He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."

Uncovering His Natural Fit

Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn