Cancellieri Displays Glimpses of Genius in Silver Lining for Haywire Lazio
The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
