Monaco: Key Players to Watch as They Look to Dominate Ligue 1 This Season

Thanks to the newest Russian billionaire on the scene—Dmitry Rybolovlev—Monaco found themselves flush with cash this offseason and have spent it on a bounty of fantastic young players, along with some highly experienced veterans in defense.

As we gear up for what should prove a thrilling Ligue 1 season, let's take a look at each phase of play with an eye for the players most likely to make an impact.

Defense

Monaco's defense features two names that longtime observers of world football should remember—Ricardo Carvalho and Eric Abidal. 

We are now years removed from their peaks, but they are some of the most experienced defenders currently playing in Europe. Their combined honors—43 top flight trophies from Portugal, England, France and Spain—must be some sort of record for one defensive line.

Carvalho's strengths in particular have always involved a stellar reading of the game—you cannot ask for a more experienced leader marshaling the back line.

Midfield

In midfield, regardless of whether manager Claudio Ranieri opts for a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, former Porto maestro Joao Moutinho is surely the key man. The Portuguese international boasts a record of 39 goals and 71 assists in 423 matches for club and country. 

Stylistically he is very much home in central midfield, dropping deep to receive the ball and distribute. Orchestrating the attack is certainly priority No. 1 for Moutinho, though his 39 goals imply ample skill attacking the box.

For a team with an eye on a Champions League position, Moutinho's stellar performance last season should instill great confidence. During Porto's CL run, he scored two and assisted two more, while completing 87.5 percent of his passes.

Over those eight matches, Moutinho managed an average WhoScored? rating of 7.48—good enough for fourth among central midfielders.  

Another player to mind in midfield is former Malaga defensive midfielder Jeremy Toulalan. His average WhoScored? rating of 7.1 puts him among the top 10 best defensive midfielders in La Liga. A rather pure holding midfielder, his defensive presence should allow Joao Moutinho the freedom to advance and link up with Monaco's immensely talented young attack whenever he deems it necessary.

Attack

Up front, the one and only Radamel Falcao is certainly the focal point. In 305 matches for club and country, the Colombian international has netted 191 goals. Falcao is every bit a pure No. 9, a player built around sniffing out goals and little else. No one ought to be surprised should he score 30 or more this season—he is just that clinical in front of goal. 

The lack of a more creative forward means that Monaco's attacking midfielders will be called upon to supply the goal-hungry Falcao early and often. 

Those attacking midfielders include a trio of fantastically talented young prospects—James Rodriguez, Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco and Lucas Ocampos.

Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco is a Belgian U21 who proved extremely valuable to his club during their run through Ligue 2 last season. At 19, he scored eight goals while assisting seven more, and two of his goals came from free kicks.

Lucas Ocampos—one of FIFA's 13 players to watch last year—is another purchase from last season that has proven invaluable. Then 18 years old, Ocampos scored five goals in his 29 appearances, featuring out wide and as a center forward. A year earlier, he managed seven goals in 39 appearances for Argentine club River Plate, at just 17 years old. 

Rodriguez, a 21-year-old Colombian international, is profiled here by Bleacher Report Tactical Analyst Sam Tighe. Tighe highlights Rodriguez's experience as a No. 10, citing his ability to find space from wide positions as a key strength aside from the pace one expects from a top winger. His 33 goals in 107 appearances proves that he can utilize these talents effectively, and offers another bonafide goal threat to Monaco's probable starting XI.

And so, while Monaco is brimming with talent, look to its trio of Porto alumni—Falco, Rodriguez and Moutinho—to prove pivotal. They brought Europa League honors to their club in 2011, and should they gel in France with Monaco, expect to see them back in European competition very soon.