Cancellieri Shows Flashing Moments of Genius in Bright Spot for Unstable Lazio
The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, but then he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed last season on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to stay there temporarily. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
