Alonso Walking a Thin Line at Real Madrid Despite Player Support.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s history had endured failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a message to send, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against the English champions. Then he spun and sprinted towards the bench to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could signal an profound liberation.

“This is a difficult time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren't working out and I wanted to show people that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been surrendered, another loss taking its place. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, hit the bar in the final seconds.

A Reserved Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, consequences pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Kind of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, continuing their poor form to two wins in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, rather than a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most harsh charge not directed at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, nearly salvaging something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the head coach stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Muted Reception

That was not always the case. There were moments in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, some of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a subdued procession to the subway. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”

Squad Unity Remains Firm

“I feel the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they stood by him too, at least towards the media. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, reaching somewhere not precisely in the compromise.

How lasting a fix that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor incident in the after-game press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that notion to hang there, responding: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this context, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of requirements somehow being framed as a form of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “In my view my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to change the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have observed a difference.”

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

“We persist in trying to work it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about striving to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been excellent. I personally have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe referring as much about adversity as everything.