Manager Alonso Treading a Thin Tightrope at the Bernabéu Even With Dressing Room Backing.

No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had endured scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was released and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was commencing only his fifth game this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and sprinted towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could represent an even greater relief.

“This is a difficult moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things aren't working out and I wanted to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been surrendered, a setback ensuing. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Reserved Verdict

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo admitted. The question 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 insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re with the manager: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so the axe was reserved, sentencing delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Kind of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the simplest and most harsh accusation not levelled at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, nearly securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Muted Reaction

That was not always the full story. There were spells in the latter period, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was in addition some applause. But mostly, there was a muted procession to the subway. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they applauded too.”

Player Support Stands Strong

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least towards the media. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, meeting common ground not quite in the center.

How lasting a fix that is remains an matter of debate. One seemingly minor exchange in the after-game press conference appeared significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that implication to remain unanswered, answering: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is implying.”

A Basis of Fight

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Some of this may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most basic of expectations somehow being elevated as a form of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his doing. “I believe my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a difference.”

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

“We are continuing trying to figure it out in the changing room,” he said. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about striving to sort it out in there.”

“In my opinion the manager has been excellent. I personally have a great connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“All things passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about adversity as everything.