Cancellieri Demonstrates Glimpses of Exceptional Talent in Bright Spot for Unstable Lazio
The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
