Cancellieri Demonstrates Brief Sparks of Genius in Bright Spot for Struggling Lazio
The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Falling Apart?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were about to receive for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to weaken their team without replacements.
He signed initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
