Matteo Cancellieri Displays Brief Sparks of Exceptional Talent in Bright Spot for Haywire Lazio
The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "misled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, observers have struggled to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad with no new signings.
He signed initially when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
