What we learnt from watching Alessio Dionisi up close at Barnet

Reporters at Barnet on Tuesday got a closer look at Alessio Dionisi in action than will be available anywhere else all season.

The press box sits adjacent to the dugouts, right at the front of the main stand, and Dionisi spent much of the first half up and down the line.

With the sun glaring directly into his eyes, he stationed himself right in front of the media for much of the opening 45 minutes, providing some insight into his character and what he wants from his Watford team.

Firstly, it is worth noting that his English, while limited, is not non-existent.

At Boreham Wood, his longer address to the players during a drinks break was interpreted into English by one of his coaches, but he does have a basic grasp of a few buzzwords, at least, that marks his language skills out as better than Paulo Pezzolano's last season.

At Boreham Wood, Dionisi was largely drowned out by the extraordinarily loud opposition boss Luke Garrard, but here he could be heard loud and clear.

Alessio Dionisi in front of the press box (Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)

He was extremely energetic, one colleague referring to him as 'the Italian Martin O'Neill' such was the way he seemed unable to stand still for more than a second or two at a time.

Much of his instruction was related to the way he wanted Watford to press.

'Stay', 'wait' and then 'press' were among the regular instructions delivered to the Under-21 players in the first half as he orchestrated their efforts to win back possession.

He seemed to have a clear idea of the triggers, when he wanted his players to go and when he wanted them to sit back, and was exacting with his instructions, not afraid to show off his disappointment when they got it wrong.

Both his water bottle (chucked on the floor) and the advertising hoardings (kicked) felt the brunt of his frustration, particularly when the front four – Michael Adu-Poku, Amin Nabizada, Nikoloz Chikovani and Zavier Massiah-Edwards – got their positioning or timing wrong.

Even when Watford attacked, a constant refrain from the sideline was 'rest defence!', a reminder to his back four to position themselves properly for potential counter-attacks.

Alessio Dionisi delivers instructions (Image: Newsquest)

The sun dipping over the opposite stand caused plenty of problems for Dionisi, who was in a constant cycle of moving further and further down the touchline into the shade, being called back by the fourth official, laughing and apologising, before creeping away again.

And when he did lose his temper, as happened in full force once during the first half, his full range of Italian was on show – Watford's players perhaps fortunate they couldn't catch the gist of what he ranted at his bench when one press went wrong.

While it has been hard to get a real feeling for what Watford will look like from two friendlies – Mattie Pollock conceded last Saturday that working on tactics was difficult with the squad so thin – there have been a couple of clues.

On a couple of occasions that goalkeeper Alfie Marriott went long with his distribution, once a kick and then a throw, Dionisi stood still with his arms wide and shouted, 'Alfie, play!'.

It seems, where possible, he will insist on his players passing out from the back rather than surrendering possession from going long, not good news for those of a nervy persuasion when watching goalkeepers and defenders with the ball at their feet.

Attacking play has largely seemed to revolve around counter-movements, with his 4-2-3-1 shape based on runs in behind from some players and others taking that as their cue to come short into space – and vice versa.

Alessio Dionisi watching on at Barnet (Image: Newsquest)

That worked particularly well in the second half, when Kwadwo Baah made lots of searching runs down the right – Mamadou Doumbia or Edoardo Bove would pick up possession in the gaps created as the defence retreated, or a long ball down the right would send the winger away.

Dionisi demanded this with his hand movements and often shouted encouragement when it was pulled off successfully.

Overall, after there was so little to take away from the Boreham Wood defeat, watching Dionisi up close at The Hive offered more encouragement that he is working towards a vision for what he wants Watford to be.

His excitable manner, meanwhile, could prove endearing to fans if he earns positive early results, which is ultimately what it will all be about.