Cancellieri Demonstrates Glimpses of Genius in Silver Lining for Haywire Lazio
The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, before he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Rumours that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
At least one man kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to identify the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
