Matteo Cancellieri Demonstrates Flashing Moments of Genius in Silver Lining for Unstable Lazio
The mood at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had allowed ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was Lazio's season falling apart, or had there never been a binding element keeping it intact to start with? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, only for him publicly stated that the board had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
A single player kept smiling amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the previous campaign with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Finding His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
