Cancellieri Shows Flashing Moments of Genius in Positive Aspect for Struggling Lazio
The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, defeating 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 they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to identify the nature of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
