Cancellieri Shows Flashing Moments of Brilliance in Bright Spot for Haywire Lazio
The mood at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy during matches as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if progress is being made or collapsing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He completed the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
