Xabi Alonso Treading a Thin Line at Madrid Even With Dressing Room Endorsement.

No forward in Real Madrid’s history had gone scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a statement to send, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth appearance this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the opening goal against the English champions. Then he wheeled and charged towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could represent an even greater relief.

“This is a challenging period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results are not going our way and I wanted to show the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been surrendered, another loss following. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played very little all season, struck the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Suspended Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn’t feel that [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. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was withheld, consequences pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Kind of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, perpetuating their poor form to two wins in eight, but this was a little different. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most critical charge not directed at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, almost salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Bernabéu's Mixed Reaction

That was not completely the complete picture. There were moments in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was also sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued flow to the exits. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Squad Backing Stands Strong

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, reaching common ground not quite in the middle.

How lasting a fix that is remains an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that implication to linger, replying: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Basis of Resistance

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 defended him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or mutual survival, but in this context, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of standards somehow being promoted as a kind of positive.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his doing. “I think my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a difference.”

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

“We persist in striving to solve it in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be helpful so it is about striving to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the manager has been great. I personally have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe talking as much about poor form as everything.