Xabi Alonso Walking a Fine Path at the Bernabéu Despite Player Support.

No offensive player in Los Blancos' history had endured failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a declaration to deliver, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had not scored in almost a year and was starting only his fifth match this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could represent an profound release.

“It’s a tough period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Things aren't working out and I sought to show everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been surrendered, a setback following. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the bar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re behind the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was reserved, consequences suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Form of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most damning charge not levelled at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, nearly earning something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the manager stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Muted Reaction

That was not always the complete picture. There were spells in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, some of supporters had continued, although there was in addition some applause. But primarily, there was a subdued stream to the doors. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Backing Remains Firm

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they stood by him too, at least towards the public. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, meeting common ground not precisely in the middle.

Whether durable a remedy that is is still an matter of debate. One small moment in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that notion to hang there, responding: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Basis of Reaction

Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this context, it was meaningful. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of expectations somehow being elevated as a kind of success.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I think my teammate Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a difference.”

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

“We are continuing attempting to work it out in the locker room,” he said. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation will not be beneficial so it is about striving to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been superb. I personally have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the spell of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps referring as much about adversity as his own predicament.