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The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.

A Season Coming Unstitched?

Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.

The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or imploding.

Matteo's Unexpected Presence

One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster with no new signings.

Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."

Uncovering His Best Role

Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn