Matteo Cancellieri Displays Brief Sparks of Exceptional Talent in Positive Aspect for Unstable Lazio
The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Unraveling?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club became as messy in their performances as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
One individual kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were attempting to remain there for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad without replacements.
He joined in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
