Xabi Alonso Navigating a Fine Tightrope at the Bernabéu Amidst Squad Backing.

No forward in the club's record books had endured failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a message to send, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth match this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against Manchester City. Then he spun and ran towards the touchline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could prove an profound release.

“This is a challenging moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate people that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been taken from them, a defeat ensuing. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” state, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the woodwork in the final seconds.

A Delayed Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the coach: we have given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was postponed, consequences suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Kind of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was a European powerhouse, not a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most critical accusation not aimed at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, almost salvaging something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the manager said, and there could be “no blame” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Mixed Response

That was not always the case. There were spells in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a muted flow to the exits. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Player Unity Is Evident

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least for the media. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, finding common ground not exactly in the middle.

How lasting a fix that is continues to be an matter of debate. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had let that idea to hang there, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Most importantly though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this context, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being promoted as a form of success.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “I believe my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a change.”

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

“We’re still trying to figure it out in the changing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“I think the manager has been excellent. I individually have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “After the sequence 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 anything else.