Alonso Walking a Precarious Line at the Bernabéu Amidst Squad Support.

No offensive player in the club's record books had gone failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a statement to send, performed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had not scored in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth appearance this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he turned and sprinted towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could represent an more significant relief.

“This is a challenging moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances aren’t coming off and I wanted to show everyone that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been lost, a defeat following. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, struck the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Suspended Sentence

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to hold onto his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the coach: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was postponed, any action pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct 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 seemed a more respectable. This was Manchester City, not a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the simplest and most damning accusation not aimed at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, coming close to securing something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the boss said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Fans' Mixed Reception

That was not entirely the full story. There were spells in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, a portion of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But mostly, there was a muted flow to the subway. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Player Backing Stands Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had considered them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, finding common ground not precisely in the center.

The longevity of a solution that is remains an open question. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had let that implication to linger, answering: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Basis of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a pushback. 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 professionalism or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most basic of requirements somehow being promoted as a type of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I think my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to change the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have observed a shift.”

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

“We are continuing striving to solve it in the locker room,” he said. “We know that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the coach has been great. I personally have a great connection with him,” Bellingham added. “After the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, perhaps referring as much about a difficult spell as everything.