Matteo Cancellieri Displays Glimpses of Exceptional Talent in Bright Spot for Unstable Lazio
The mood at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful during the weekend fixture. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in 10 goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or had there never been any cohesion keeping it intact from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he to later acknowledge that the club had not mentioned the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were not true, but he did say that Lotito had "swindled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic on the pitch as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but falling short in the remaining first five games, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it's been difficult to tell if they're getting better or imploding.
The Youngster's Unforeseen Return
A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri was not even supposed to feature for Lazio during this campaign. He completed the last one with Parma on loan and, early this summer, his parent club were pushing for him to stay there a while longer. The transfer ban led to a change of plans. They were unable to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old product of Verona's academy. He recorded 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Finding His Natural Fit
Maybe Sarri was still trying to work out the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself much of that season as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn