Cancellieri Displays Brief Sparks of Brilliance in Silver Lining for Unstable Lazio
The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they're getting better or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Presence
One individual continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
