Matteo Cancellieri Shows Brief Sparks of Genius in Bright Spot for Haywire Lazio
The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were about to receive for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, observers have struggled to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were pushing for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Uncovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as a flank player on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
