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The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Unraveling?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.

The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence

At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.

He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."

Discovering His Best Role

Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn