Cancellieri Demonstrates Brief Sparks of Exceptional Talent in Positive Aspect for Struggling Lazio

The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Unraveling?

Was the team's progress unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.

The Roman club appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.

The Youngster's Unforeseen Presence

At least one man kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team lacking backup options.

Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."

Uncovering His Best Role

It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn