Matteo Cancellieri Displays Flashing Moments of Genius in Positive Aspect for Struggling Lazio
The mood at their home stadium was far from happy during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had conceded a total of 10 goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the remaining 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 collapsing.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
One individual continued to smile amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this year. He spent the last one at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were attempting to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His True Position
Maybe Sarri was persistently working to determine the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Originally described as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
