Cancellieri Displays Glimpses of Exceptional Talent in Silver Lining for Unstable Lazio
The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, before he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, including the Rome derby. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
