Alonso Navigating a Thin Tightrope at Madrid Despite Player Backing.

No forward in Los Blancos' record books had experienced failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a declaration to broadcast, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he turned and sprinted towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could signal an more significant relief.

“This is a challenging period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren’t coming off and I wanted to demonstrate the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, another loss taking its place. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not engineer a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, hit the bar in the final seconds.

A Reserved Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re behind the manager: we have given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was withheld, sentencing pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A More Credible Type of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second match in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had actually run, the easiest and most damning accusation not levelled at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, coming close to securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the boss argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reaction

That was not completely the full story. There were spells in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At full time, a portion 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 accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Player Support Remains Firm

“I sense the confidence of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, finding somewhere not exactly in the compromise.

Whether durable a solution that is is still an matter of debate. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to follow his own path, Alonso had let that implication to linger, answering: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Fight

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this context, it was important. The effort with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of standards somehow being framed as a form of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I believe my teammate Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to change the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a shift.”

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

“We’re still 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 attempting to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been excellent. I personally have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the run of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps talking as much about poor form as his own predicament.