Cancellieri Demonstrates Glimpses of Exceptional Talent in Bright Spot for Unstable Lazio
The mood at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him admitted that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt 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 in the striker role. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
