Alonso Treading a Precarious Line at Madrid Amidst Squad Backing.

No offensive player in Real Madrid’s record books had gone without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a message to deliver, performed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was beginning only his fifth match this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and ran towards the touchline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could prove an profound release.

“It’s a difficult period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate everyone that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, a setback following. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the bar in the final seconds.

A Reserved Verdict

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his role. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was reserved, sentencing suspended, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their recent run to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this felt a little different. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most harsh charge not directed at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, almost securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reception

That was not entirely the full story. There were moments in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, some of supporters had done so again, although there was also sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued flow to the doors. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Unity Remains Strong

“I feel the confidence of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least for the public. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had embraced him, meeting somewhere not precisely in the compromise.

The longevity of a solution that is continues to be an open question. One seemingly minor incident in the post-match press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that idea to hang there, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Foundation of Fight

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a resistance, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this context, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being framed as a form of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “I believe my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a change.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were with the coach, also answered in numbers: “100%.”

“We’re still attempting to figure it out in the changing room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be helpful so it is about attempting to fix it in there.”

“I think the coach has been excellent. I personally have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the run of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps referring as much about poor form as everything.