Alessio Dionisi has not had much time to prepare for his first game back as Empoli boss but he knows a thing or two about how to succeed at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.

Dionisi took charge of his first training session on Thursday after Guido Pagliuca was relieved of his duties, and he will kick off his second reign on Sunday against Venezia, one of his old clubs.

The move marks a return to Tuscany for the former Sassuolo and Palermo boss just over four years after he led Empoli to the Serie B title and promotion to the top flight. He has signed a two-year deal.

Pagliuca’s time in charge was brought to an end after taking just nine points from the first seven games of the campaign and he left the club sitting in the bottom half of the table, having been touted as one of the promotion favourites before the season started.

Meanwhile Giovanni Stroppa has urged Venezia to build on their thrashing of Frosinone when they make the trip across the country.

The Lagunari went into the international break after inflicting a first defeat of the season on the high-flying Canaries.

It was a statement win fitting of the tag of promotion favourites Venezia have worn since the summer, albeit not always comfortably, and Stroppa wants them to carry on in the same vein.

“I think that winning 3-0 against one of the most in-form sides in the championship is really something special,” he said.

“There’s always room for improvement. I said we needed greater mental quality in addition to fighting spirit. There’s no doubt that this team has moments of real quality, even individually, but we need to bring that quality into the game itself, especially when we have opportunities.”

Stroppa’s appointment in the summer was a major coup for a club that slid back into Serie B only on the final day of last season and holds not-so-secret hopes of returning to the Italian top flight at the first time of asking.

An experienced operator in calcio’s second tier, Stroppa is chasing a fourth promotion in six years and is under no illusion taking Venezia back up will be an easy task.

“Our condition and mentality are improving, but we still have to keep getting better because Serie B is a tough league,” he said. “We must be even more focused on the small details in order to keep improving.”

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