Atalanta Vs AC Milan [1–1] – Serie A 2025/2026: Samuele Ricci Impact & Max Allegri Final Third Problems – Tactical Analysis

Atalanta recently hosted AC Milan in Serie A gameweek nine, resulting in a draw that suits neither team on paper.

In fact, a draw places La Dea ninth in the standings at the end of this gameweek, with 13 points, and the gap between them and the top five positions is starting to get wider.

As for I Rossoneri, the draw left them in fourth place, with Napoli, AS Roma, and Inter Milan all gaining ground.

In this tactical analysis of the match between Atalanta and AC Milan, we will examine Samuele Ricci’s contribution and its impact on AC Milan, while exploring their recurrent striker issue and final-passing dilemma.

Atalanta Vs AC Milan Lineups & Formations

Ivan Jurić preferred to start the match in the 3-4-1-2 formation, with Marco Carnesecchi in goal, Odilon Kossounou, Isak Hien, and Honest Ahanor as centre-backs.

The midfield consisted of Marten de Roon (who was then replaced by Marco Brescianini due to injury) and Éderson as central midfielders, with Davide Zappacosta and Lorenzo Bernasconi as wing-backs.

Up front, Mario Pašalić was the advanced playmaker, and Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman formed the attacking duo.

For AC Milan, Massimiliano Allegri preserved his usual 3-5-2 formation with Mike Maignan in goal, Strahinja Pavlović, Matteo Gabbia, and Fikayo Tomori as centre-backs, Luka Modrić as the deep-lying playmaker, and Ricci and Youssouf Fofana as central midfielders.

Davide Bartesaghi and Alexis Saelemaekers were used as wing-backs, while Santiago Giménez and Rafael Leão formed the attacking line.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Christopher Nkunku, and Zachary Athekame were later substituted on.

Samuele Ricci Roles & Addition To AC Milan’s Midfield

The match against Atalanta marked another start for Samuele Ricci, who delivered a solid, impactful performance.

Ricci was central to AC Milan not only in the playmaking phase but also in covering, defending, and attacking.

He was capable of filling the void left following Adrien Rabiot‘s injury and convincingly replacing him.

This will give Allegri a further headache when selecting his starting XI, given that Ricci has proved he can be a starter for AC Milan, not just a backup option for Rabiot or Fofana.

Furthermore, Ricci is among the few players in the current AC Milan squad who can replace Modrić as a defensive midfielder or a deep-lying playmaker, despite being used mainly as a mezzala.

Ricci used to master the deep-lying playmaker role at Torino and will therefore find no issues in reverting to that role when needed, which gives him more opportunities to play and gain more playing time.

Samuele Ricci Attacking Input

During this match, Ricci’s attacking support was valuable, especially in second balls, playmaking, advancing into the final third, adding passing options, and helping Modrić a lot in the build-up from the back.

His performance lacks vertical passes that break defensive lines, but that might come with more participation, confidence, and instructions to look more for such passing possibilities.

Other than that, the player’s attacking movements were good enough and helped the team find passing options whenever it was put under pressure.

Ricci is a player who protects the ball well, knows how to get fouls, and avoids losing it using his physical abilities.

This makes him a good replacement for Rabiot, who is also outstanding in this regard.

More importantly, the goal action was created thanks to Ricci’s positioning inside the final third and his ability to coordinate his body well and opt for the volley without hesitation and with power.

He scored a crucial goal with the help of the Atalanta opponent, who deflected the shot a little bit.

Samuele Ricci Valuable Defensive Support

In addition, Ricci has been instructed to lean to the left flank whenever necessary to cover for Bartesaghi and, at times, add defensive numerical superiority against Zappacosta, Charles De Ketelaere, and Éderson, since Atalanta relied heavily on his penetrations to create numerical superiority inside AC Milan’s own third.

In this regard, Ricci was present in most of the dangerous situations on that left flank, supporting Bartesaghi, securing AC Milan’s left flank, and limiting Atalanta’s penetration attempts.

Furthermore, his defensive support was also obvious centrally.

He knew he could intercept passes and make successful sliding tackles in key areas while covering for Fofana, ensuring a powerful midfield defensive line.

One of the most remarkable actions that highlighted Ricci’s excellent integration within the team and his valuable defensive support in dangerous situations was his sliding tackle to get the ball away from Marco Brescianini, whose internal penetration could have posed a much greater threat if Ricci had not stopped it.

Milan’s Strikers & Final Pass Issues

Milan’s game against Atalanta revealed a reality that the team needs to consider and prioritise before it is too late.

This reality is that AC Milan lack decisive strikers and have a majority of attacking players who have not been good enough in terms of attacking positioning, anticipation of defenders inside the box, and decision-making regarding their finishing and final pass.

Since the beginning of the match, both Leão and Giménez have struggled to handle the situations created.

Leão received only a few passes in the final third due to tight marking, and Giménez received several passes but failed to convert them into clear chances for various reasons.

For Leão, the Portuguese player has the skills needed to threaten any defence.

Nevertheless, being used as a striker under Allegri’s management is making it a bit more complicated for him to adapt to his new position and roles.

The new role requires greater resistance to defensive pressure and greater ability to play under pressure, without the possibility of finding spaces like he used to when dribbling past an opponent on the left wing.

In other words, Leão got restricted in tight areas that do not allow him to use his explosivity in large spaces like he used to do on the wing.

He has to create something with his teammates to generate goal-scoring opportunities.

Rafael Leão Movement Without The Ball & Dangerous Passing

In this match, Leão failed to avoid tight marking, as Atalanta applied man marking on him.

What was even more crucial and determinant in Leão’s performance was his inability to build successful combinations with his teammates inside the final third.

The lack of chemistry in that area, especially in terms of passing, prevented Leão from shooting on goal.

He was unable to reach the goal on his own, and even when he tried some passing combinations, they did not work.

Combinations did not work due to a lack of accuracy in some of the final passes, such as Fofana’s crucial pass to Leão at the minute, when both players made a good exchange, and Leão made a forward run towards the box, hoping for a key pass from Fofana.

However, the quality of that final pass was problematic and crucial, as it was not as far from the opponents as needed, who were trying to chase down Leão.

Fofana should have provided a through pass in space so that Leão could use his pace to beat the opponent and aim for goal, or win a penalty if he was kicked from behind, rather than providing it so close to the opponent.

Milan Inability To Exploit Rafael Leão Strengths In Counterattacks

Moreover, Rafael Leão’s movements without the ball in the few occasions during which AC Milan had the opportunity to launch counterattacks were not rewarded with passes, even though everyone knows the danger he is capable of creating during such attacking transitions.

Once again, Fofana’s wrong decision on the final pass prevented AC Milan from capitalizing on a dangerous situation that could have turned into a key moment.

Fofana got the ball and saw Leão making the run forward to meet a potential through pass in space, with Giménez also making the forward run on the right side.

Despite that, Fofana hesitated and chose to dribble past his marker, which led him to lose the ball and the chance to counterattack.

The mentioned actions show that Leão was not passive in attack and made some key movements that his teammates did not well exploit, even though Leão could have done more when he had the ball.

The absence of Christian Pulisic was felt in this match, as his presence would have helped create more chemistry among the attacking players and could have helped Leão a lot with passing combinations and through passes in space.

Santiago Giménez Poor Decision-Making Inside The Final Third

One of the most important dilemmas surrounding AC Milan’s attacking performances is directly related to Giménez’s input and his failure to score goals in Serie A so far.

In fact, the problem is deeper than failing to score goals, since Giménez has proved on numerous occasions that he struggles to handle inviting goal-scoring situations and does not make the required movements without the ball in key moments.

It is true that Giménez’s defensive support and desire to help the team can be appreciated, but his execution of his roles as a striker has not been up to AC Milan’s standards so far.

In this example, Giménez received a perfect pass in a dangerous area and should have done everything possible to protect the ball, potentially shooting on goal afterward or passing.

Instead, Giménez was too slow in controlling and trying to advance with the ball, something that allowed Brescianini to take the ball away from him quickly and launch a dangerous counterattack.

Giménez has also been failing to shoot on goal with consistency or danger, having taken only one shot throughout the match, which went off target.

Loftus-Cheek’s substitution for Giménez liberated AC Milan on the attack and made their attacks look more dangerous and more frequent, which is already quite telling.

It proves that AC Milan’s actual starting strikers were not as dangerous as they needed to be.

It also highlights the fact that Loftus-Cheek’s penetrations and physical strength were more valuable than Giménez’s presence inside the box.

Christopher Nkunku Poor Decisions

Christopher Nkunku was subbed in at the start of the second half with the intent of providing a better attacking impact than Leão.

However, this was not really the case, as Nkunku made several crucial errors in the attacking phase.

The fact that Nkunku has not been convincing enough adds to the striker dilemma at AC Milan, given that the available choices are quite similar and do not offer an upgrade, a model to follow, or a competitor.

Nkunku received some key passes and had chances to score, but failed to take them due to poor decisions in the box.

One of the most remarkable actions happened in the 68th minute.

He received the pass from the left wing, resisted the opposing disturbance, and, instead of aiming for a shot on target, he preferred to pass the ball to Saelemaekers.

Nkunku would have had much more chances of scoring if he had opted for the solo option in this action, as he would have had the time and space needed to coordinate his body and shoot with power.

Preferring the pass in this situation was not rewarding, as he put his teammate in a difficult position and allowed Atalanta’s defenders to gain the advantage in timing.

Christopher Nkunku Lack Of Movements Inside The Box

Apart from making wrong decisions during key occasions, Nkunku failed to be as dynamic as needed inside the box and looked passive in some of these actions.

Failing to anticipate defenders and the trajectory of his teammates’ passes might represent a considerable issue for AC Milan.

That would limit the striker’s ability to score goals, since Serie A requires high anticipation and continuous movement without the ball to break defensive lines.

On many occasions in this match, both Giménez and Nkunku failed to make the progressive run to try receiving potential key passes.

Failing to do so in key moments, like in the picture below, when Nkunku was passive during Loftus-Cheek’s passing attempt, can only confirm the fact that AC Milan needs to work better on their attacking players’ positioning when attacking.

It also stresses the importance of moving intelligently and in a timely manner without the ball.

Taking a few steps to anticipate the pass and the defenders’ marking could have helped Nkunku get the ball and be in a one-on-one situation with the opposing goalkeeper.

Conclusion

It is true that playing against Atalanta in their own stadium is always difficult, but AC Milan could have done more to win, especially on the attack.

The conceded goal could have been avoided as well, and I Rossoneri had to do much more to protect their lead during the first half.

Failing to do so and trying to defend only without creating a lot upfront, especially during the first half, allowed Atalanta to get back in the game and put AC Milan in trouble for the rest of the game.