Matteo Cancellieri Displays Flashing Moments of Genius in Bright Spot for Unstable Lazio
The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had let in ten goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Coming Unstitched?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or did there exist a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the management had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio became as messy during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or self-destructing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
One individual kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He completed last season at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, at that time a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league in Lazio colors in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left following that term, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential only to bench him consistently."
Finding His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
