After a modest playing career as a right back that was cut short by an injury, Pagliuca retired at the age of 28 to become a youth coach at amateur club Rosignano.[1][2] He successively returned at hometown club Cecina, first as a youth coach and then in 2007 as a head coach, providing an attacking footballing style to a Serie D league team.[1] In 2010 he left for Borgo a Buggiano, winning promotion to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione for the first time in the club's history.[3] After that, he signed for fellow Lega Pro Seconda Divisione club Gavorrano, being however sacked in November 2011.[4]
For the 2012–13 season, Pagliuca returned to Serie D to coach RapalloBogliasco before being sacked in January 2013.[2][5] In the following season, he signed for fellow Serie D club Lucchese, guiding them to promotion to the 2014–15 Lega Pro after a last-minute win against rivals Correggese in the final game of the season.[1][6] After being initially confirmed in charge of the club for the upcoming Lega Pro season, he was sacked in November 2014 due to poor results.[7]
In October 2015, Pagliuca took over at Serie D club Imolese.[8]
After not being confirmed in charge of Imolese, in September 2016 he then signed for fellow Serie D club Real Forte Querceta;[9] he was dismissed a year later, in September 2017, due to negative results at the beginning of the new season.[10]
In July 2018, Pagliuca took over at Ghivizzano, another Tuscan Serie D club,[11] before being replaced in March 2019.[12]
In October 2019, Pagliuca joined Marco Baroni as part of his coaching staff at Serie B club Cremonese,[13] leaving the club following Baroni's dismissal in January 2020.
In 2020, he returned to head coaching, this time at the Serie D club Pianese.[14] In April 2021, Pianese announced to have parted ways with Pagliuca due to "disciplinary reasons".[15]
In July 2021, Pagliuca returned to Lucchese, this time in Serie C, guiding the club to a spot in the promotion playoffs.[16] On 29 June 2022, Pagliuca left Lucchese to sign for fellow Tuscan Serie C club Siena.[17] After guiding Siena to an impressive season despite a number of financial issues that eventually led to the club's exclusion from professional football, Pagliuca was hired by Juve Stabia.[18] On 8 April 2024, Juve Stabia mathematically won promotion to Serie B after being crowned Group C champions.[19]
