Matteo Cancellieri Displays Brief Sparks of Genius in Bright Spot for Haywire Lazio

The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Coming Unstitched?

Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he admitted that the management had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.

The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.

The Youngster's Unexpected Return

A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio during this campaign. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.

He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."

Finding His Natural Fit

Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn