Matteo Cancellieri Demonstrates Glimpses of Exceptional Talent in Positive Aspect for Haywire Lazio
The feeling at the Stadio Olimpico was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Had their campaign falling apart, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure to start with? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he admitted that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio became as messy in their performances as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in the rest of their opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. From one game to the next, it has been hard to ascertain if progress is being made or imploding.
The Youngster's Surprising Presence
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this year. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were advocating for him to remain there for another season. The transfer ban forced a rethink. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
Cancellieri arrived originally during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 Serie A appearances for Lazio in that campaign, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom only to bench him consistently."
Discovering His True Position
It's possible the coach was persistently working to work out the specific characteristics of Cancellieri's abilities. Labeled as a wide forward when he joined, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
