Cancellieri Demonstrates Brief Sparks of Brilliance in Bright Spot for Haywire Lazio
The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion holding it together to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Surprising Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
