Cancellieri Shows Brief Sparks of Genius in Bright Spot for Haywire Lazio
The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 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 chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
