Matteo Cancellieri Shows Glimpses of Brilliance in Positive Aspect for Haywire Lazio
The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion keeping it intact in the first place? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, before he admitted that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he could resign were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as they were off it, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to determine if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Comeback
At least one man remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this season. He was on the last one at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The signing restriction forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
