Xabi Alonso Walking a Precarious Path at the Bernabéu Despite Squad Support.

No offensive player in Real Madrid’s history had gone scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was starting only his fifth game this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against Manchester City. Then he turned and charged towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could signal an more significant liberation.

“This is a tough time for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things aren’t coming off and I wanted to show people that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, a defeat following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The question 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 remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was reserved, sentencing delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A More Credible Form of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, extending their recent run to two wins in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had actually run, the most obvious and most critical criticism not aimed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, nearly salvaging something at the death. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the head coach argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Mixed Reception

That was not entirely the case. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, some of supporters had done so again, although there was also some applause. But mostly, there was a muted procession to the doors. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they clapped too.”

Squad Backing Remains Strong

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least for the public. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, meeting common ground not precisely in the middle.

How lasting a fix that is continues to be an matter of debate. One little moment in the after-game press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that notion to hang there, answering: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Basis of Fight

Crucially though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a response. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of obligation or self-interest, but in this context, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being framed as a type of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I believe my teammate Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to improve the mindset. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have witnessed a shift.”

Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were behind the coach, also answered with a figure: “100%.”

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

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

“Every situation passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly referring as much about poor form as anything else.