Matteo Cancellieri Displays Brief Sparks of Genius in Positive Aspect for Haywire Lazio
The feeling at Lazio's home ground was far from happy this past Saturday. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a team that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were finishing their most recent demonstration in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been a thread keeping it intact from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for fiscal problems. Speculation that his departure was imminent were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Roman club were just as chaotic during matches as off the field, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other first five games, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
The Youngster's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive amid the chaos. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to feature for Lazio this season. He spent last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were advocating for him to extend his stay for another season. The signing restriction led to a change of plans. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, at that time a 20-year-old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 Serie A appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri yet was deployed for much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile at No 9. In 63 appearances during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
