Cancellieri Displays Glimpses of Genius in Positive Aspect for Haywire Lazio
The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there temporarily. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of the player's talent. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
