Managing Madrid: We're Baaack! Real Madrid Secures First Place in Group G with 0-4 Win Over Ajax

We're Baaack! Real Madrid Secures First Place in Group G with 0-4 Win Over Ajax

5:57 PM |

Real Madrid has looked astoundingly good so far this season, and with our latest victory in the Champions League a blowout against Ajax in Amsterdam, we look even better. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, Arbeloa nicked one in, and Benzema--who is really rounding into form--blasted an absolute golazo. In a game where we only needed a tie to secure at least a tie for first, it was great to see us play so well.

It was also great to see us play so well on the road, especially in a stadium as complicated as the Amsterdam Arena. We did win la Séptima there when I was a kid--with a beautiful goal which I remember so fondly from Mijatovic--but Ajax have a notoriously rowdy, intense group of supportes, and Madrid did well to silence them.

My highlights:

Benzemaaaaaa! What a goal! Superb. We'll post it up here as soon as it goes online. It's great to see him beginning to really be the player we thought we were getting last year.
Domination. Just pure domination away from home was a fantastic sight to behold. We're one of Europe's best teams at home, but we need to prove that we play well away if we're going to hold any serious title ambitions.
We've got some real momentum heading into this weekend's clásico. I wouldn't feel too happy about this, though, considering Barça won 8-0 last weekend.
To be fair, though, they were playing one of the worst teams (offensively and defensively) in the league in Almeria. Now that I said that, they'll probably play REALLY well against us just to spite me.

I'll have more analysis later, but for now let's just bask in the awesomeness of our crushing 0-4. I know this may be premature, but I'm fighting the urge to yell WE'RE BAAAAAAACK. So instead, here's this totally random conversation that I just made up:

Madrid: Hello, Europe. This is Real Madrid.

Europe: Real Madrid! Wow! Haven't heard from you in ages! How's it going?

Madrid: Things are pretty good, you know. Lots of traveling. See, we've been away for a while now.

Europe: Yeah, I could tell. How was that for you?

Madrid: Bad. Not fun at all. But we're on our way home now, make sure to leave the light on for us this spring, OK?

Europe: Will do buddy. Nice to have you home.

Oh, and here is AS's two-part saga on how we won the la Séptima (sorry, it's in Spanish):

Part 1: