Watford are set to stick with head coach Alessio Dionisi for Saturday’s Championship match at home to Charlton Athletic, according to BBC Three Counties Radio. The decision comes after a 5-1 thrashing at Cardiff on Tuesday night, their fourth successive defeat in the Championship.
The loss at Cardiff meant Watford have conceded nine goals in their past two games, following a 4-0 home defeat by Burnley on Saturday. The result dropped them into the relegation zone. Dionisi was asked about his future immediately after the game. “I don’t like this question because it’s impossible for me to answer,” he told the BBC. “I take the team on the pitch and during the training – that question is not for me.” A figure caption also quoted him as saying: “I am angry with myself and my players.”
BBC 3CR sports editor Geoff Doyle said the decision to keep Dionisi was a surprise. “Watford are saying they are going to stick with Alessio Dionisi which is a bit of a surprise to those of us who were at Cardiff and watched that horror show and also saw the game against Burnley on Saturday [lost 4-0],” he said. “It felt like he wasn’t going to remain in charge because those performances were so poor but it seems like the club want to change the cycle of just rotating managers and being so hasty in dismissing bosses.”
Watford started the season with a three-game unbeaten run, including an opening-day victory over Southampton, but have won only one Championship game since, against bottom side Preston. Dionisi was appointed in June, becoming the club’s 12th permanent boss since the end of the 2020-21 season.
Doyle added that the decision may not sit well with supporters. “Is this going to appease the supporters? Probably not,” he said. “The groundswell of support is against the owner (Gino Pozzo) and how the club is being run.”