Samuele Ricci Scout Report At AC Milan 2025/2026: Allegri’s Pirlo-Inspired Project – Player Analysis

Samuele Ricci is a 23-year-old midfielder who has joined AC Milan from Torino in a deal that is expected to reach €25m.

I Rossoneri then had to wait until the arrival of their new sporting director, Igli Tare, to finalise the negotiations and agree on a very reasonable fee at the end of the day for a valuable player who can add a lot to Milan’s midfield in the long term.

It is worth noting that Milan succeeded in securing the player’s services despite interest from other teams, most notably Manchester City, which highlights the value of this promising midfielder.

In this tactical analysis and scout report on Ricci style of play, I will explore the player’s characteristics and how he can be utilised to enhance Milan’s tactics.

The football analysis will also shed light on how Massimiliano Allegri can utilise Samuele Ricci and further develop his characteristics, focusing on his actual weaknesses and potential areas for improvement.

Samuele Ricci Style Of Play

Samuele Ricci began his senior football career with Empoli in 2019, developing within their youth system to reach the senior squad.

He soon attracted the interest of many Serie A teams, like many other players who emerged from Empoli, such as Ismaël Bennacer, Rade Krunić, and others.

Ricci was then loaned to Torino and began to shine remarkably, especially in the last two seasons, and particularly in the 2023/2024 season, attracting more interest from Serie A teams, such as Milan.

Ricci is primarily a regista who excels at playing in front of the defence, combining physical strength, agility, and technique.

Being one of the best players under pressure makes him a unique midfielder who can be trusted to build up from the back and be responsible for initiating attacking actions or circulating the ball swiftly, even under heavy pressure.

Ricci can also be effectively used as a central midfielder, as he has played in this position, whether with Il Toro or the Italian national team.

But given Allegri’s desired playing system wherever he went, it is more likely that Ricci will become Allegri’s first-choice regista in an expected 4-3-3 formation.

Yacine Adli will become the second-choice defensive midfielder (if staying at Milan), and Youssouf Fofana, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Warren Bondo; Luka Modrić and Granit Xhaka will battle for the two central midfield spots.

Ricci declared before that his reference and idol has always been Andrea Pirlo, a former Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Juventus player who was famously used as a deep-lying playmaker in front of the defensive line.

Likewise, Ricci will most likely be interpreting the same position at Milan but with slightly different roles since Ricci has better defensive abilities than Pirlo.

Nevertheless, we cannot compare Pirlos playmaking and shooting skills to Riccis at the moment because Ricci still has a lot to prove in this regard.

What Ricci masters is the ability to play in front of the defence while resisting pressure and knowing how to escape using his agility, body feints, dribbling, and passing skills to overcome the various difficult situations he is usually put in.

This makes him a very valuable player to any team, especially in the possession phase.

Another important factor that enables Ricci to win most duels in front of the defence is his excellent athletic form and his ability to run a lot without the ball, proposing passing solutions to the goalkeeper or the defenders.

This makes Ricci’s efforts even more precious as he guarantees his availability in front of the defence even when he gets marked by re-positioning himself a bit away from the opponents to receive the ball and deal with it in a way that eliminates that first line of pressure.

Samuele Ricci Role In Countering A High Press

The following example highlights Ricci’s ability to eliminate Germanys high pressure by positioning himself in a spot that allows him to receive the ball and provide a forward pass to his teammate.

Providing this type of pass may seem easy, but in reality, it requires making the decision beforehand to make that pass quickly without controlling the ball.

Ricci often resorts to this type of solution to relieve pressure, scanning the pitch before receiving the ball to make a decision a moment before catching it, which facilitates the process for him and confuses his opponents.

This was exactly Pirlo’s way of eliminating the high pressure placed on him, with Pirlo attempting more body feints than Ricci when the situation does not permit opting for first-touch passes.

The above picture highlights Ricci’s excellent vision and his ability to understand his surroundings and find the best possible way to escape pressure without losing the ball.

Gaining time over his opponents is one of Ricci’s most notable preoccupations, and that’s what makes him capable of winning a large number of duels per match in that area.

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