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The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Unraveling?

Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.

The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Return

At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.

He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."

Discovering His True Position

Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn