Matteo Cancellieri Demonstrates Brief Sparks of Genius in Bright Spot for Haywire Lazio
The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the club had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were pushing for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended at the end of that season, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was still trying to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Billed as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
