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The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Coming Unstitched?

Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.

The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.

Matteo's Unexpected Return

A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.

He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."

Finding His Best Role

Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn