Inside Palermo: Dionisi’s Tactics, Transfers and Best Players

Ambitions are high for Palermo this season.

Under the umbrella of the City Group, the Rosanero became one of 11 clubs to be under the control of the Manchester City’s owners, when they paid an estimated €13m (£11m) to buy a majority stake in the club in the summer of 2022.

Palermo have had their ups and downs the last decade or so — more the latter than the former — but the City Group represents stability for the Sicilian side.

They won promotion back to Serie B in June 2022, and the pressure is now on them to return to the promised land of Serie A for the first time since 2017.

Former Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi was hired in the summer with the task of propelling Palermo towards the promotion places, but so far things haven’t gone as expected.

Results have been mixed, to say the least, with Palermo picking up just five wins from the opening 15 games. Yet, considering the inconsistency of many clubs in Serie B, the five wins is still good enough to see them in the play-off places heading into December. With 21 points, Palermo are seventh in the table, three adrift of fourth-placed Cremonese and two clear of Brescia, who currently occupy the last play-off spot.

An attack-minded manager, Dionisi wants to take the game to the opposition. This has usually meant the former Sassuolo man implementing either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 system. 

Despite the relative inconsistency in results, the 44-year-old has been resolute in his belief that attack is the best form of defence. 

Their best performance of the season was undoubtedly the 2-0 home win against high-flyers Spezia last week. The Ligurian side had been undefeated all season, but Dionisi cleverly switched to a 4-1-4-1 system, and two goals from corners was enough to secure three points against the Aquilotti.

Yet the Rosanero boss doesn’t believe the win over Spezia was a turning point in their season. 

“It’s not the turning point of anything. It was only a good performance that brought an important victory,” he said.

Palermo have the squad to earn promotion this season, but for Dionisi the challenge is getting the right people in place to make a push for the top spots.

Transfers: The Rosanero were active in the summer transfer market, spending close to €10m. 

The biggest signing was left winger Jeremy Le Douaron from French side Brest, who arrived for €4m. Greek centre-half Dimitrios Nikolaou was signed from Spezia for close to €2m.

Meanwhile, Alexis Blin was signed from Lecce and Stredair Appuah arrived from French side Nantes for €1.5m.

Palermo also dipped into the Serie A market, as Niccolo Pierozzi was signed from Fiorentina, while Thomas Henry was signed on loan from Hellas Verona. The club also brought back Salvatore Sirigu to Italian football after his experience in Turkey.

Best performers: Roberto Insigne, brother of Lorenzo, has been one of Dionisi’s star performers on the right-hand side, chipping in with five goals so far this season. Insigne is three goals clear of Thomas Henry as Palermo’s top goalscorer. 

Claudio Gomes has been a pivotal part of Dionisi’s midfield, with the 24-year-old clocking up more minutes than anyone else for the Rosanero. Filippo Ranocchia has been the creative lynchpin in midfield, and big things will be expected of the 23-year-old in the second half of the season.

Tactics: Dionisi has generally opted for a 4-3-3 formation, but has also pivoted to a 4-2-3-1 in certain games this season. For the win over Spezia he switched to a 4-1-4-1 system, and the manner of the performance against the Ligurian outfit could be the catalyst to continue with the formation.