Cancellieri Demonstrates Glimpses of Genius in Silver Lining for Unstable Lazio
The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn