Alonso Walking a Thin Tightrope at Real Madrid Despite Squad Support.

No attacker in Los Blancos' annals had gone scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a message to deliver, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was starting only his fifth match this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against Manchester City. Then he turned and sprinted towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could represent an profound release.

“This is a challenging time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things are not going our way and I aimed to show the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been lost, another loss following. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not engineer a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played very little all season, hit the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Delayed Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to hold onto his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was withheld, consequences delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Type of Defeat

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most damning criticism not levelled at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, almost earning something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the boss stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Reaction

That was not completely the case. There were moments in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But mostly, there was a quiet flow to the doors. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they applauded too.”

Squad Unity Is Firm

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he backed them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, finding common ground not exactly in the compromise.

How lasting a remedy that is continues to be an matter of debate. One seemingly minor incident in the post-match press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had let that notion to hang there, replying: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of duty or mutual survival, but in this context, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of expectations somehow being framed as a type of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his responsibility. “I believe my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to alter the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a change.”

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

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

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been great. I myself have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham added. “After the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps talking as much about poor form as anything else.