Alonso Walking a Fine Tightrope at the Bernabéu Despite Dressing Room Support.

No offensive player in Los Blancos' record books had gone scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a message to broadcast, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was starting only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Manchester City. Then he turned and sprinted towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could signal an profound release.

“This is a challenging time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances aren’t coming off and I sought to prove everyone that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been lost, another loss following. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be enough 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 understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re supporting the coach: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was withheld, any action suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Kind of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their recent run to two wins in eight, but this was a more respectable. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the simplest and most damning criticism not directed at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, nearly salvaging something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the head coach argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reception

That was not completely the complete picture. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At full time, some of supporters had continued, although there was in addition some applause. But for the most part, there was a muted procession to the doors. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Player Backing Is Firm

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least for the media. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, finding common ground not quite in the middle.

Whether durable a remedy that is remains an matter of debate. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that implication to hang there, answering: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Basis of Fight

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of standards somehow being elevated as a type of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “In my view my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a difference.”

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

“We are continuing attempting to figure it out in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] speculation will not be helpful so it is about striving to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been great. I myself have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the run of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe talking as much about poor form as everything.