Matteo Cancellieri Displays Flashing Moments of Brilliance in Silver Lining for Unstable Lazio
The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, an opponent that had let in 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were concluding their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, only for him admitted that the board had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club 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 rest of their opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. Throughout this period, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or imploding.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this year. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, early this summer, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo forced a rethink. Lazio could not afford to weaken their team without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
