Matteo Cancellieri Shows Brief Sparks of Genius in Bright Spot for Struggling Lazio

The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico was anything but joyful on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had allowed 10 goals while scoring only two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were concluding their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.

The Campaign Coming Unstitched?

Had their campaign coming unstitched, or had there never been any cohesion maintaining its structure in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as head coach this summer, before he to later acknowledge that the board had failed to disclose the transfer ban they were facing for accounting issues. Reports that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.

Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as off the field, overcoming Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but being defeated in their other opening fixtures, which included the capital clash. From one game to the next, it's been difficult to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.

Cancellieri's Unexpected Presence

A single player kept smiling throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to be at Lazio during this campaign. He spent the previous campaign on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, his parent club were attempting to extend his stay for another season. The transfer ban necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to reduce their roster with no new signings.

He signed originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in 2022-23, the vast majority of those coming off the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri would be a star then never playing him."

Finding His Natural Fit

Perhaps the manager was still trying to identify the exact type of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger on arrival, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he scored seven times. Shoehorn