Cancellieri Demonstrates Flashing Moments of Exceptional Talent in Positive Aspect for Unstable Lazio
The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he admitted that the management 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, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to identify the nature of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
