Matteo Cancellieri Displays Glimpses of Exceptional Talent in Silver Lining for Unstable Lazio
The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had let in a total of 10 goals while netting just two in their most recent five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season coming unstitched, or was there ever a thread maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him admitted that the management had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for fiscal problems. Reports that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in their other opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they're getting better or collapsing.
The Youngster's Surprising Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the last one on loan at Parma and, at the start of the off-season, his owning club were advocating for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster lacking backup options.
Cancellieri arrived initially when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances with the club in that campaign, all but one of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "promising everyone Cancellieri would be a star only to bench him consistently."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the nature of the player's talent. Labeled as a wide forward on arrival, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma over the last two seasons, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
