Players spent two nights this week at Sopwell House, a five-star luxury hotel just 10 minutes from the Hornets' London Colney training base, as part of a bonding experience paid for by the club's owner, Gino Pozzo.

The two-day stay took place in the wake of Watford's 1-0 defeat away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, but was part of an active effort to correct a wider issue of poor form.

Speaking on Thursday, Dionisi admitted to being bemused by the criticism and attention given to the bonding trip.

(Image: Newsquest)

"In Italy, it's normal," the head coach insisted, "But in England, it's different. I spoke with my team, and for players, this decision is different."

The decision to sanction a bonding trip stemmed from recognition that injuries and late summer arrivals had limited the group's ability to naturally bond.

With new coaching staff, led by head coach Alessio Dionisi, and 12 new signings joining over the summer, there have been a lot of new faces at London Colney.

The club also did not jet away on a traditional pre-season tour, instead opting to remain local, with a 22-mile round trip to face Barnet, which the Hornets drew 2-2, the club's longest excursion.

We understand that, as well as training, players were free to be away from the hotel to see family until the evening of both nights, while those recovering from injuries were not required to go at all.

For those who did attend, the getaway between training sessions was a largely positive, laid-back experience, with a focus on face-to-face interactions to strengthen the bond between the group.

(Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)

Dionisi discussed the importance of the trip, insisting that it enabled him to properly assess his squad's emotions.

"For me, it's important to know the players' emotions," he revealed. "If the players stay together, I can see this.

"For the club, it's important, because in this moment, we have 11 points, and we have a lot of situations to improve. But it's normal when we have a lot of young players who haven't played a lot of matches in this league.

"I don't like this moment, but it's better when you're in a positive moment, but this is normal in football."

Dionisi has insisted that his side will always be ready for the challenge at hand, as the group look to translate a positive bonding experience into positive form, starting away at Norwich on Saturday.

"We are always ready," the Italian insisted. "There is a good team in front of us. Norwich won their last match, and it is not easy for us to play away, but now it is important to play, not to speak."