At the end of March, Alessio Dionisi conceded Palermo were still searching for their identity.

It was a stunning admission to make for any manager, let alone one in charge of a play-offs chasing team with seven games left to go in the season.

The search will go on for a while longer after the Rosanero’s quest to return to Serie A ended in a 1-0 defeat against Juve Stabia in the first round of the play-offs.

Four days after the Stabians sent Sampdoria tumbling down to Serie C for the first time in their history, here they accounted for another of Serie B’s fallen giants.

Andrea Adorante’s goal halfway through the second half was enough to condemn Palermo to a ninth consecutive season in calcio’s second tier.

And, almost certainly, Dionisi will not be in charge when Palermo rediscover their identity. 

If his admission in March was brutally honest, it was also telling of the predicament he faced. 

Tasked with restoring the Rosanero to Serie A and backed to the tune of £10m in signings by City Football Group, Dionisi has often resembled a man confused by the array of options at his disposal.

Having started the season wedded to his preferred 4-3-3, the former Sassuolo manager switched to a three-man defence in December as the Sicilians adopted a 3-1-4-2 formation.

Further tinkering followed in the new year, as Dionisi eventually settled for a more balanced 3-4-1-2.

In a season of questionable choices, his 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 arguably 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, who arrived for €4m from Venezia in the January transfer window.

The Finland international made an instant impact, scoring nine in his first nine games, but failed to score in his last six outings and is yet to register in eight play-offs games with Venezia and Palermo.

Jeremy Le Douaron, signed from Stade Brest for £3m in the summer, contributed with six goals. Inexplicably, he only came on with 12 minutes left against Juve Stabia and Palermo chasing the game.

With the Rosanero crying out for a creative spark, Dionisi’s decision not to bring one of his best forwards on the pitch was a curious one. If it was a gamble, it did not pay off.

But if Le Douaron and Pohjanpalo were successes, City Football Group’s investment is yet to pay off. Palermo had the third-worst return in terms of cost per point in Serie B this season, with only Sampdoria and Salernitana faring worse.

It is hardly illustrious company, considering the Granata face a relegation play-off against Brescia on Monday and Sampdoria have been relegated to Serie C.

Along with league winners Sassuolo, Salernitana and Sampdoria were the only clubs in Serie B this season with a wage bill higher than Palermo’s at €19.2m.

Juve Stabia, by contrast, have the smallest budget in Serie B with just €5m spent on wages this season. And could Palermo do with some of the energy Guido Pagliuca’s men displayed on Saturday night, deserved winners in a game they dominated almost from start to finish.

And if City Football Group’s financial largesse allowed Palermo to convince Pohjanpalo to return to Serie B less than 12 months after winning promotion with Venezia, then it also ramped up the pressure on Dionisi.

Missing out on the play-offs would have almost certainly signalled the end for the 45-year-old, who has never won over the fans and whose fate appeared sealed in March.

Two goals to the good against fellow play-offs hopefuls Cremonese, Palermo imploded spectacularly to concede three goals in the final 20 minutes.

The defeat was the Rosanero’s first in six matches, but the vitriolic reaction of the Renzo Barbera suggested Dionisi had run his race in Sicily.

But he was instead handed a surprising stay of execution and his team initially responded, beating Salernitana and thumping runaway leaders Sassuolo 5-3 over the next two weeks.

Four points clear of ninth place, Palermo at last looked to be serenely cruising towards the play-offs, before three defeats in their next four fixtures almost derailed their season.

They eventually had just enough to limp over the line, a 1-1 draw at home to Carrarese sealing their play-offs place in fittingly underwhelming fashion.

Eighth place brought with it a trip to Castellammare di Stabia, in itself hardly a reason for optimism as the Rosanero won just six times away from home this season – including a 3-1 win against their play-offs opponents – with eight defeats and five draws.

But with the Serie B play-offs format rewarding the team finishing higher in the regular season if scores are level after 90 or 120 minutes, the equation was simple for Palermo.

Win and live to fight another week, lose and head into a summer of discontent.

Adorante’s goal with 67 minutes played made the decision for Palermo, the Stabians No 9 hammering the ball past Emil Audero after forcing his way past Salim Diakite and Rayyan Baniya.

Juve Stabia had lift-off, the metaphorical roof coming off the rickety Romeo Menti, which shook and roared as it must have seldom done in its 41-year history.

Adorante’s goal came in front of a desolate away end, with only 50 Palermo fans making the journey to Campania.

The Curva Nord ultras announced on Tuesday they would boycott the trip as part of their ongoing protests against City Football Group.

“Our season ends here,” read their statement. After a meek defeat on the shores of the Gulf of Naples, so did Palermo’s.