Alessio Dionisi Calls Watford Sacking Reports ‘Fake News’ After Elton John Post

• Watford manager Alessio Dionisi says reports that he will lose his job are “fake news”, though he added: “But I don’t decide.”
• Former Watford owner Elton John said he was “upset and disappointed” in a now-deleted Instagram post after the heavy home defeat by Burnley.
• Watford sit 22nd in the Championship after 10 games, having lost six matches and all of the last four.

Dionisi Admits He Does Not Control His Own Future

Alessio Dionisi has dismissed reports that Watford are about to sack him, but he accepts the decision is not his to make. “There is good news, bad news or fake news probably. In this case for the moment, it is fake news. But I don’t decide,” the Italian told BBC Three Counties Radio.

The talk of his job followed a 5-1 defeat at Cardiff on Tuesday, days after a 4-0 home loss to Burnley in which all the goals came in the first half. Watford are 22nd after 10 Championship games, having lost six of them and all of the past four. They opened the season with a three-game unbeaten run, including an opening-day win over Southampton, and have won only one Championship game after that, against bottom side Preston.

Dionisi has Saturday’s home game against Charlton Athletic next. He said it was “normal” for speculation to surround him. “I have been a coach for 14 years, and it is normal,” he said. “In my past there was negative and there was positive moments. At the moment it is a negative moment.”

Elton John and Tom Ince Join the Debate

The pressure has spread beyond the dressing room. After the Burnley defeat, former Watford owner Elton John said he was “upset and disappointed” by the club’s form in an Instagram post that has been deleted. Former Watford midfielder Tom Ince also weighed in on BBC Sounds’ 72+ Plus podcast, saying he feared for the club after the display at Cardiff.

Dionisi said he does not know the singer, and replied calmly. “I have a lot of respect for everyone,” he said. He added that football is “wonderful” in the way everyone gives an opinion, from supporters to journalists.

The criticism at Cardiff came from the stands too. Around 500 travelling Watford fans again showed their discontent with the owners and the manager, and there were boos at the final whistle. A week earlier supporters at Vicarage Road had chanted “Sack the board” and booed the manager and players at the end of the Burnley game.

Twelve Managers Under the Pozzo Ownership

Dionisi signed a two-year deal in June. He became the club’s 12th manager, excluding interim appointments, to take charge under Gino Pozzo’s ownership after the end of the 2020-21 season.

Dionisi said he stays in regular contact with the ownership group, including Pozzo. “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,” he said.

He was blunt about his players after the Cardiff game. “I asked for a reaction after the Burnley defeat but I didn’t get one. I was very angry with my players,” Dionisi 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,” he said. “I didn’t like what I saw tonight. There was no reaction on the pitch after just one negative moment.”

He insisted the squad is working as one. “Inside the training ground there is only one mentality, only one street for everyone,” Dionisi said. “I want to continue with my responsibilities and to work with my players.”

What Happens Next at Vicarage Road

Dionisi has taken responsibility alongside his players for Watford’s slide, and he says his relationship with the owner is good. Whether Pozzo and the club’s ownership group agree with that view is the open question, with the supporters who sang against the board already having made their own feelings clear.

For now Dionisi remains in charge, and Charlton Athletic are next at Vicarage Road.