Matteo Cancellieri Shows Flashing Moments of Genius in Positive Aspect for Unstable Lazio
The feeling at Lazio's home ground was anything but joyful this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with chairman Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose a ban on new signings they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Reports that he might quit were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating 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's been difficult to ascertain if they're getting better or collapsing.
Matteo's Surprising Presence
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio this season. He completed the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, at the start of the off-season, Lazio were attempting to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as a wide forward upon signing, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. Across 63 games on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
