Matteo Cancellieri Displays Glimpses of Brilliance in Positive Aspect for Unstable Lazio
The feeling at their home stadium was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, an opponent that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Return
A single player continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, his parent club were advocating for him to stay there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
