Watford are reportedly set to sack head coach Alessio Dionisi after a 5-1 defeat at Cardiff City left them in the Championship relegation zone.
Former Imp Jack Moylan scored twice as the Hornets conceded four goals before half-time on Tuesday night. According to talkSPORT, Dionisi is heading for the exit just four months after taking charge at Vicarage Road. The 46-year-old joined in June but has overseen only three wins in 12 matches across all competitions, with Watford now sitting 22nd.
City travel to Vicarage Road on Tuesday, 3 November, meaning another managerial change could come less than three weeks before our visit. The Hornets have already had Javi Gracia, Charlie Daniels, Ed Still and Dionisi in the dugout during 2026, with a successor set to become the fifth man to take charge this calendar year.
Tuesday’s defeat followed a 4-0 home loss against Burnley at the weekend, leaving Watford with nine goals conceded across their last two matches. Their only league victories under Dionisi have come against Southampton and Preston North End, while Crawley Town were beaten in the Carabao Cup.
Moylan’s double helped Cardiff establish a commanding lead, before an own goal from Watford captain Mattie Pollock and a strike from Ollie Tanner made it 4-0 at the break. Callum Robinson added a fifth after Chris Willock had missed a penalty, with Hector Kyprianou heading home a late consolation.
Dionisi admitted afterwards that his players had failed to deliver the response he wanted following the Burnley defeat. He said the contest was effectively over by half-time, despite having made six changes to his starting line-up.
“I asked for a reaction after the Burnley defeat but I didn’t get one. I was very angry with my players,” he said.
“The game was gone by half-time and I decided to give them 10 more minutes to see if they could turn things around in the second half.
“They couldn’t and that’s why I made five substitutions. It is now important to take responsibility for where we are, for me as the coach and for the players.”
The Italian used all five substitutes during the second half, including a triple change in the 56th minute. However, he argued that Watford’s problems required a collective response rather than relying on one individual to turn their fortunes around.
“I didn’t like what I saw tonight. There was no reaction on the pitch after just one negative moment. We have to solve these problems together because there isn’t one player or one person who can solve them.”
Despite the mounting pressure, Dionisi said he wanted to continue working with the squad and maintained that he had a good relationship with the owner. He also acknowledged Watford’s recent record of changing coaches.
“I want to continue with my responsibilities and to work with my players because I think together we can arrive with a good result. I speak with my owner every day and I have a good relationship with him, but this is football and I know that last season Watford changed four coaches.”
Watford represented Dionisi’s first managerial appointment outside Italy, following spells with clubs including Venezia, Empoli, Sassuolo and Palermo. He led Empoli to the Serie B title in 2020/21 before moving to Sassuolo, where he spent almost three years in charge.
His reported departure would leave Watford searching for another head coach as they attempt to climb out of the bottom three. For City, it raises the prospect of facing a side under new management when we make the trip to Hertfordshire next month.
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