Manager Alonso Navigating a Precarious Path at Madrid Amidst Squad Support.

No offensive player in the club's history had experienced scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a message to broadcast, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had not scored in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he turned and sprinted towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could signal an even greater relief.

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

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been taken from them, a defeat following. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, rattled the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Suspended Sentence

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was reserved, consequences delayed, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Type of Defeat

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their recent run to two wins in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, not a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the easiest and most critical charge not levelled at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, coming close to securing something at the death. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the head coach said, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.

The Stadium's Mixed Response

That was not completely the full story. There were spells in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a quiet stream to the doors. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Backing Remains Strong

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least in front of the media. There has been a unification, conversations: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, reaching a point not quite in the center.

The longevity of a solution that is continues to be an matter of debate. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had let that implication to remain unanswered, replying: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be satisfied 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. Part of it may have been performative, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of standards somehow being framed as a form of success.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their shortcomings were not his doing. “I believe my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The sole solution is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a change.”

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

“We persist in attempting to solve it in the locker room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about striving to fix it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the manager has been superb. I personally have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the run of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly speaking as much about adversity as everything.