Matteo Cancellieri Displays Glimpses of Exceptional Talent in Bright Spot for Haywire Lazio
The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, before he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to ascertain if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio during this campaign. He was on last season on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
He joined in the first place under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
