Alonso Treading a Thin Path at Real Madrid Despite Squad Support.

No offensive player in Los Blancos' history had gone scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth game this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against the English champions. Then he turned and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could signal an more significant release.

“It’s a difficult period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results aren't working out and I aimed to demonstrate the public that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, a defeat following. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Delayed Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep his job. “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 understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, any action pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Form of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their recent run to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most damning charge not aimed at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, coming close to earning something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the manager argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Muted Response

That was not entirely the case. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had done so again, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a quiet stream to the doors. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they clapped too.”

Squad Backing Is Evident

“I sense the confidence of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least for the public. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, reaching somewhere not precisely in the compromise.

The longevity of a fix that is remains an open question. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that notion to remain unanswered, replying: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Basis of Resistance

Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a form of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a strategy, that their failings were not his responsibility. “I think my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have seen a change.”

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

“We persist in striving to figure it out in the locker room,” he continued. “We know that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“I think the manager has been superb. I personally have a great connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations among ourselves.”

“All things passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly referring as much about a difficult spell as everything.