Filippo Inzaghi wants Palermo to develop a winning habit after knocking out newly-promoted Cremonese on penalties in the first round of the Coppa Italia last week.

“We played against a Serie A side after only a short time together,” he told Sportsmediaset. “I’m very satisfied; it’s a first step, but we haven’t achieved anything yet. Winning helps you win.

“I’m not enough on my own, but I’m trying to make everyone understand that we have a squad that deserves to be in Serie A and we have to fight to reach it.”

Fresh from taking Pisa back to Serie A for the first time in 34 years, Inzaghi is a man who knows all about the challenges of returning to the Italian top flight. Were he to be successful in Sicily, he would complete a hat-trick of promotions after taking Benevento to the top flight five years ago.

The Rosanero are entering their ninth consecutive season away from Serie A and their quest for promotion begins on Saturday evening, when they host Reggiana at the Renzo Barbera, where they won just eight times in Serie B last season.

Convincing Inzaghi to swap Pisa for Palermo was a major coup for the Sicilians, but the 2006 World Cup winner insisted remaining in Serie B was not a step down.

“I’m passionate about my work, and the division is irrelevant to me,” said the former AC Milan manager, who has replaced Alessio Dionisi at the helm.

“Even after my time at Milan, I went back to Lega Pro, and that was one of the best moments of my career. I go where I’m wanted. I hope Palermo is my long-term home, where I can stay for a few years and build something.

“The people here are showing me an unexpected amount of affection even though I haven’t achieved anything yet. I just hope to do my job well — I’m not reinventing anything because, in this line of work, the players are the ones who make you successful.”

Pisa’s promotion challenge was a genuine surprise, coming as it did after they finished 13th the previous term with a negative goal difference, just five points clear of the relegation zone.

Flying under a radar is a luxury Inzaghi will not be afforded at Palermo, where City Football Group’s investment is yet to pay off.

After coming unstuck in the play-offs against Juve Stabia two months ago, the Rosanero have wasted no time in reshaping their squad.

Antonio Palumbo and Emmanuel Gyasi arrived from Modena and relegated Empoli, respectively, to strengthen Palermo’s midfield, while Mattia Bani and Tommaso Augello made a step down from Serie A to bolster the Sicilians’ defence.

Important as the new signings could prove to be, Palermo’s fortunes will likely rest on the shoulders of Matteo Brunori and Joel Pohjanpalo.

In a season of questionable choices, Dionisi’s decision to hand Matteo Brunori just five starts between August and January after he scored 17 league goals in each of the last two Serie B campaigns was his most baffling.

It is no coincidence that eight of the 30-year-old’s nine league goals came after he was restored to the starting XI at the end of December.

Brunori struck a prolific partnership with Joel Pohjanpalo and their goals will be crucial to Inzaghi’s plans. A €4m signing from Venezia in the January transfer window, the Finland international scored nine in his first nine games.

Getting the pair firing from the start will be crucial in Palermo hitting the ground running, something they failed to do last season when they lost their two opening fixtures.

A fast start is something that Reggiana did accomplish last season, picking up seven points from the first three games, before the wheels came off in spectacular fashion.

A run of one win in 12 matches left the Granata in the bottom three, before they reeled off four consecutive wins between April and May to survive with a game to spare.

Since taking over at the end of March, Davide Dionigi has hardly put a foot wrong and has managed to strengthen his team while bowing to the financial constraints that are unavoidable for a club the size of Reggiana, but steering the Emiliani to safety for a third consecutive season will be an uphill battle.

At the same time, facing one of the promotion favourites on the opening weekend represents the kind of free hit the Granata are seldom afforded.

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