"Next season we want to win the league and have a good Champions League season.

This season
qualifying for the Champions League was the objective." said Joao Moutinho at the end of the Ligue 1
season. Not many teams would expect to finish second only to a perennial Champions League contender
in their very first season in the top division. However, that's exactly what Monaco did as they finished 9
points behind mighty PSG last season and reaching their highest ever points tally in the process. So, with
so much progress done in a year, one would expect Monaco to light a fair number of fireworks in the
upcoming season. Then again after spending about 140 million, which includes the club record 50
million acquisition of Colombian hitman Radamel Falcao, the owners may have not expected anything
less. And yet, it seems the French club have been pegged back in their progress with the resignation of
manager Claudio Ranieri and the loss of World Cup 2014 Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez to 2013-
14 Champions League winners Real Madrid.
"I'm very proud of my players. We did something really big this season by finishing second with a points
record. I'm a very positive man and I love my work for the emotion it brings.", is what ex-manager Ranieri
had to say in his post-season press conference.

"I'm very proud of my players. We did something really big this season by finishing second with a points record.
I'm a very positive man and I love my work for the emotion it brings.", is what ex-manager Ranieri had to say in his
post-season press conference.
As Ranieri's replacement, Leonardo Jardim has been installed as the new manager of the football club.
THE SQUAD
TRANSFERS:
As mentioned earlier, Colombian James Rodriguez has moved onto pastures new by sealing a deal to Real
Madrid worth a reported 63m. This may have given Les Monegasques quite some cash to spend on new
arrivals. Then again, with UEFA's Financial Fair Play set to kick in, the club's directors and managers will
have to allocate their investments on players wisely. Another rumoured Real Madrid target Falcao is set
to stay in France after he declared, "I believe in Monaco's project. I want to stay here and play Champions
League football with Monaco." Falcao proved his commitment when he netted a header against Arsenal in
the Emirates Cup, which gave ASM a 1-0 win. Emmanuel Riviere has also been sold to Newcastle United
FC for 5.6m.
As for players coming to Monaco FC, the club have secured the services of Dimitar Berbatov for the
upcoming season from relegated English club Fulham. The club has also signed centre-back Aymen
Abdennour from Toulouse for 11.44m, holding midfielder Bakayoko from Rennes for around 7m and
goalkeeper Paul Nardi for 2.6m, who has been loaned straight back to his former club Ligue 2 outfit
Nancy.
STARTING XI OVERVIEW:
Danijel Subasic is rightly Monacos no. 1, unless Les Rouges et Blancs make a late coup in the transfer
market. But taking into account that no shot stoppers are signed, it will down to Subasic to keep the
number of goals conceded by Monaco down to a minimum.
Fabinho, also known as Fbio Henrique Tavares, should slot into a problem area for Monaco, the right
back position. The 20-year old Brazilian defender came on loan from Portuguese outfit Rio Ave. He is a
player who loves to attack and will always try to support his midfielder, being a constant threat to the left
side of any defence.
Ricardo Carvalho is the veteran in this back four. Of all the players in the Monaco squad, one could say
that it is Carvalho who knows what it takes to consistently challenge for major honours. The former
Chelsea and Real Madrid centre back will inject some much needed experience and steel to this ambitious
Monaco squad. However, with him being on the wrong side of 30, it is quite evident that the Portuguese
has lost much of his pace, making him susceptible to fast players and through balls from midfield.
Aymen Abdennour should be Carvalhos partner at the heart of the defence. At 25 years old, he should
be at his peak and Monaco represents the perfect chance for the man from Tunisia to earn some
silverware at the right time.
Layvin Kurzawa completes the back four. The 21-year old has come up from the Monaco Academy and
is now regarded as one of Ligue 1s best left backs for his maurauding runs down the left and his excellent
crossing ability.
Jrmy Toulalan, the inspiritational leader of this football club should find himself as the only
defensive midfielder in the starting XI. He will be the one who separates the defence from the attack for
Les Rouges et Blancs. The 30-year old is reputed for his technique, good distribution of the ball from deep
and most importantly, for his tough tackling.
Geoffrey Kondogbia is a must for a Monaco side which lacks pace and energy in the middle. Kondogbia
has the legs, he has technique and he can dribble, He will be the dynamo of the team and for the all-action
midfielder that he is, expect him to be all over the pitch, but in a good way.
Nabil Dirar is another player who will inject pace to the team. The 28-year old is equipped with
excellent technique and exceptional endurance. He can dribble as well with both foot. Conventionally a
winger, he could be the wild card in this line-up by earning a more central role than expected so that he
can dribble and penetrate through the heart of opposition defences.
Joao Moutinho is the man wholl make this team tick. He is the principle architect and will be given
task to feed the strikers ahead of him and produce goalscoring chances a plenty. With the likes of Falcao
upfront, expect the Portuguese who joined Monaco last season for 25m to rack up stockpile of assists.
Dimitar Berbatov is one of Monacos latest recruit. While Monaco had played with one striker upfront
last season, it may have been because they only had one world-class striker fit at any one time. It goes
without saying that you simply cannot leave the Bulgarian on the bench. Theres a reason why Berbatov
and Fulham, his former club did not go hand-in-hand. Maybe its because Berbatov, a Champions League
and Premier League winner with Manchester United, is a player who only challenges for the top, blessed
with technique and a touch matched only by footballs very best, he is one of the most clinical finshers in
the world.
Radamel Falcao. A name which needs no introduction. Taking into account that any rumours of a move
to Real Madrid are just that, the Colombian hitman is undoubtedly Monaco.s main man, their talismanic
striker. He is arguably the worlds best finisher and quelled any suspicion that he maybe unfit with a
beautiful header goal against Arsenal in the Emirates Cup. El Tigre must remain injury-free and at his
very best if Monaco want to win titles. Falcao will also be chaleenging PSG duo Cavani and Ibrahimovic to
end up as Ligue 1s top goalscorer.
THE MANAGER
Leonardo Jardim is Monaco's manager after Claudio Ranieri left the post at the end of the season. He has
a two year contract wwith the club, with the option of adding another year. The 40-year old Portuguese
does not have much experience of challenging for top honours, although he did have brief stint with
Olympiacos in 2012. However, with such a talented squad at his disposal, he will be under pressure from
the get go to deliver results with his management and tactical nous.
PREDICTIONS
Monaco will play in the Champions League after a very long time, which is an achievement in itself.
Hence, players and fans alike should not come with expectations which are too high. In fact, they should
consider themselves lucky if they manage to make it out of their group given that they will be up against
some of Europe's big guns in the group stages. Hence, a berth in the Round of 16 seems to be a
realistic goal.
On the domestic front, while Monaco's squad is blessed with talent, unless there are more additions, it is
unlikely they can match PSG blow for blow. However, with such heavy spending over the past few years,
the onus is on Les Rouges et Blancs to fight till the very end for the title. So, it seems Monaco will have
to contend with 2nd position for another season in Ligue 1. Then again, if luck goes their way,
ASM FC may end up winning the Coupe de France.