Cancellieri Demonstrates Flashing Moments of Genius in Silver Lining for Struggling Lazio
The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" 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 the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn