Cancellieri Displays Brief Sparks of Genius in Bright Spot for Unstable Lazio
The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
