Cancellieri Demonstrates Brief Sparks of Genius in Bright Spot for Struggling Lazio
The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
