Cancellieri Displays Brief Sparks of Brilliance in Bright Spot for Struggling Lazio
The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him to later acknowledge that the management 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 acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.
He signed initially during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
