Cancellieri Displays Glimpses of Brilliance in Bright Spot for Struggling Lazio
The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
