Lorenzo Dolcetti appointed Colchester first-team analyst

The Italian has arrived at the U's, where he will combine coaching and analysis having been reunited with the Cowley brothers, whom he previously worked alongside at Portsmouth.

Dolcetti told Col U TV: “I’m very excited to be here.

“It came about very quickly last week; I worked with Danny and Nicky at Portsmouth so we had that connection.

“There was a position available at the club and I didn’t think twice – I’m very, very happy to be here.

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“When you go into a job mid-season, being aligned in the way that you want to work makes it easier.

“Having the experience with them at Portsmouth gets things going very quickly here.”

Dolcetti is looking forward to undertaking both his coaching and his analysis responsibilities at Colchester.

“I think coaching and analysis are very, very linked,” said Dolcetti, who came to England in 2016 to study at the University of Chichester.

“Nowadays, there’s no coaching without analysis and no analysis without coaching.

“I’m very happy to be in this role where I can help the players and the coaches off the pitch with the analysis but also help them on the pitch and develop them, on the grass.

“I think England at the moment is at the top of the pyramid, in terms of football.

“Maybe 20 years ago it was Italy but now, it’s the Premier League.

“I’m very open minded and very keen to learn and I think coming here, I understand the different football culture and that different countries understand football in different ways.

“I wanted to get the experience in another country because of course, that helps you a lot."

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Lorenzo’s father Aldo is currently assistant to Massimiliano Allegri at Italian giants Juventus and played as a central midfielder for the likes of Pisa and Cesena in Serie A, during a successful playing career.

He said: “It’s very useful to speak to him and listen to him and speak about football a lot – it’s very good.”

Dolcetti’s first game as part of Colchester’s coaching team was their eventful 3-3 draw with Forest Green Rovers, last weekend.

He added: “It was a good performance especially in the second half – it was an emotional rollercoaster, for sure.

“Since Danny and Nicky have been at the club, I’ve watched the games, so I’ve had a good understanding of the squad.

“It was more about getting to know the people around the club because there’s a lot of staff and it was more about learning their names and their backgrounds but so far, it’s good – I’ve tried to memorize everything!”