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The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.

This Year's Efforts Unraveling?

Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the club had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they're getting better or imploding.

Matteo's Unexpected Presence

A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.

He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."

Uncovering His Best Role

It's possible the coach was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn