Matteo Cancellieri Demonstrates Flashing Moments of Genius in Bright Spot for Haywire Lazio

The atmosphere at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Unraveling?

Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a thread holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.

The Biancocelesti became as messy in their performances as behind the scenes, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or imploding.

Cancellieri's Surprising Presence

At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.

Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."

Finding His Best Role

Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn