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The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Roman club became as messy in their performances as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback

One individual continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.

Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."

Discovering His Best Role

Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn