Matteo Cancellieri Demonstrates Glimpses of Exceptional Talent in Silver Lining for Haywire Lazio
The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or did there exist a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the board had omitted to inform him about a registration embargo they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that his departure was imminent were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio were just as chaotic during matches as behind the scenes, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or imploding.
Cancellieri's Surprising Comeback
At least one man continued to smile through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were pushing for him to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to determine the exact type of the player's talent. Originally described as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
