Xabi Alonso Navigating a Fine Path at the Bernabéu Amidst Player Endorsement.

No attacker in the club's record books had endured failing to find the net for as extended a period 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 almost a year and was beginning only his fifth match this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against the English champions. Then he spun and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could signal an profound relief.

“This is a difficult moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren't working out and I aimed to show the public that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been lost, a defeat taking its place. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” state, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had responded. On this occasion, they could not engineer a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, rattled the bar in the closing stages.

A Suspended Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stated, 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 given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was reserved, any action delayed, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the simplest and most harsh criticism not levelled at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, coming close to securing something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the manager argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Mixed Reception

That was not always the complete picture. There were periods in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, some of supporters had continued, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a quiet flow to the subway. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Unity Stands Firm

“I feel the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they stood by him too, at least for the public. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, reaching somewhere not precisely in the compromise.

The longevity of a fix that is is still an open question. One small exchange in the after-game press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that implication to linger, responding: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Resistance

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a resistance, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this context, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a kind of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I believe my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a change.”

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

“We’re still striving to solve it in the dressing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about striving to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been great. I individually have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the run of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly talking as much about poor form as everything.