Cancellieri Shows Glimpses of Brilliance in Silver Lining for Unstable Lazio

The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.

A Season Coming Unstitched?

Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, but then he admitted that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were facing for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.

Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.

The Youngster's Unforeseen Return

At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster without replacements.

He signed originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."

Finding His True Position

Maybe Sarri was still trying to determine the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an ineffective backup 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