Overview

• Pezzolano was dismissed after roughly five months and 10 competitive games, a stint recorded as the third-shortest in Watford’s history.
• Watford immediately named Javi Gracia as successor, bringing back the coach who led the club to the 2019 FA Cup final and an 11th-place Premier League finish.
• The Hornets sit 11th in the Championship with three wins, three draws and three defeats in the league, having taken seven points from their last three matches.
• In announcing Gracia’s return, the club emphasized consistency in team selection, dressing-room harmony and a stronger connection with supporters.
• The decision extends a long-running pattern under Pozzo ownership, with BBC reporting 22 different managers since 2012, and follows weeks of supporter discontent and reports that Pezzolano had lost parts of the dressing room.