Alonso Treading a Thin Path at Real Madrid Even With Dressing Room Endorsement.

No offensive player in the club's annals had gone without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a declaration to broadcast, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth appearance this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and charged towards the bench to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could prove an even greater release.

“It’s a tough period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances aren't working out and I wanted to prove everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been lost, another loss ensuing. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, struck the bar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his role. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the coach: we have given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was reserved, consequences delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the simplest and most harsh charge not directed at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, almost earning something at the death. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the manager said, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight.

The Bernabéu's Mixed Response

That was not always the case. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was also some applause. But primarily, there was a quiet procession to the doors. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they clapped too.”

Player Unity Remains Firm

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least towards the public. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, reaching common ground not exactly in the center.

Whether durable a fix that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had let that implication to linger, responding: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”

A Foundation of Fight

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a spirit, a response. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of duty or mutual survival, but in this context, it was meaningful. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a kind of achievement.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, 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 attitude. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a difference.”

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

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

“In my opinion the coach has been superb. I individually have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly speaking as much about a difficult spell as everything.