Alonso Treading a Precarious Line at Madrid Despite Player Endorsement.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s annals had experienced failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a message to deliver, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth appearance this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could represent an even greater liberation.

“It’s a difficult time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances aren’t coming off and I sought to prove people that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been surrendered, a setback taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not engineer a recovery. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, struck the bar in the dying moments.

A Suspended Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to keep his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was felt privately. “We have shown that we’re with the manager: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was postponed, consequences pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Form of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second match in four days, continuing their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the simplest and most harsh accusation not levelled at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, coming close to securing something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the manager argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Muted Response

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were moments in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, a section of supporters had continued, although there was in addition some applause. But mostly, there was a muted stream to the subway. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “There's nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Squad Unity Is Strong

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least for the media. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, meeting somewhere not precisely in the middle.

The longevity of a fix that is remains an matter of debate. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that implication to remain unanswered, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a spirit, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this context, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of standards somehow being framed as a form of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a strategy, that their failings were not his fault. “I think my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have witnessed a shift.”

Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were supporting the coach, also replied quantitatively: “100%.”

“We persist in trying to work it out in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation will not be helpful so it is about attempting to fix it in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been excellent. I personally have a great connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe speaking as much about adversity as everything.