Matteo Cancellieri Shows Glimpses of Genius in Silver Lining for Struggling Lazio
The atmosphere at their home stadium was anything but joyful this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, an opponent that had allowed a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as head coach during the off-season, only for him publicly stated that the club had failed to disclose a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or imploding.
Matteo's Unexpected Presence
At least one man kept smiling through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to remain with Lazio this year. He was on last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there a while longer. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to weaken their team lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances in Lazio colors in that campaign, almost all of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Discovering His Best Role
Perhaps the manager was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Billed as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn