Xabi Alonso Treading a Thin Path at Madrid Amidst Player Support.

No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had experienced without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a declaration to send, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was beginning only his fifth appearance this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and ran towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could represent an profound liberation.

“It’s a challenging moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren't working out and I wanted to demonstrate everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been taken from them, a defeat ensuing. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso observed. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re supporting the manager: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was postponed, consequences delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A More Credible Kind of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this felt a little different. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the easiest and most damning criticism not aimed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, almost securing something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the head coach said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reception

That was not completely the complete picture. There were moments in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was also some applause. But mostly, there was a subdued flow to the subway. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they applauded too.”

Player Support Stands Evident

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least towards the media. There has been a unification, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, meeting common ground not exactly in the compromise.

The longevity of a fix that is remains an open question. One small moment in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that implication to hang there, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is implying.”

A Basis of Resistance

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this context, it was meaningful. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of standards somehow being promoted as a kind of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a strategy, that their failings were not his doing. “I think my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to alter the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a shift.”

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. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been excellent. I myself have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham added. “After the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly referring as much about poor form as his own predicament.