Matteo Cancellieri Shows Flashing Moments of Brilliance in Positive Aspect for Haywire Lazio
The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was far from happy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had conceded 10 goals while managing only two goals in their most recent five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him to later acknowledge that the board had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that he might quit were not true, but he stated that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club became as messy on the pitch as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, early this summer, his owning club were attempting to remain there a while longer. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team without replacements.
He joined originally during Sarri's previous tenure, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those from the bench. The ex- sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the specific characteristics of the player's talent. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn