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The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Unraveling?

Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.

The Youngster's Unforeseen Return

One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.

He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."

Finding His True Position

Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn