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The feeling at their home stadium was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?

Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.

The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or imploding.

Matteo's Surprising Return

A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.

Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."

Finding His True Position

Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn