Matteo Cancellieri Displays Brief Sparks of Exceptional Talent in Silver Lining for Haywire Lazio
The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a continuous dispute with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign unraveling, or was there ever a binding element holding it together from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the rest of their initial five matches, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to determine if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Comeback
At least one man continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, 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 coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Finding His True Position
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
