Matteo Cancellieri Shows Brief Sparks of Brilliance in Positive Aspect for Unstable Lazio
The mood at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about a ban on new signings they were set to be hit with for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti became as messy on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other initial five matches, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to be at Lazio this year. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, Lazio were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to determine the exact type of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
