Cancellieri Displays Glimpses of Genius in Bright Spot for Unstable Lazio
The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there temporarily. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign 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
