Cancellieri Shows Flashing Moments of Exceptional Talent in Silver Lining for Haywire Lazio
The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy 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 most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
