Matteo Cancellieri Demonstrates Brief Sparks of Genius in Positive Aspect for Haywire Lazio
The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
This Year's Efforts Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a binding element maintaining its structure from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" 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 being defeated in the remaining opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or collapsing.
Matteo's Unexpected Comeback
A single player kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team with no new signings.
He signed originally when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 matches in the league with the club in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the nature of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
