Cancellieri Demonstrates Brief Sparks of Genius in Positive Aspect for Unstable Lazio
The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, before he publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed in the first place under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
