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The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.

Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.

Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return

At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.

He joined initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."

Uncovering His True Position

Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn