Manager Alonso Treading a Fine Line at Real Madrid Amidst Dressing Room Endorsement.

No forward in the club's annals had endured without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a declaration to send, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth match this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against the English champions. Then he spun and sprinted towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could prove an profound relief.

“This is a tough period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been taken from them, another loss taking its place. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not pull off a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played very little all season, rattled the woodwork in the final seconds.

A Suspended Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be enough for Alonso to hold onto his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was felt privately. “We have shown that we’re behind the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so judgment was reserved, consequences pending, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Form of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their uninspiring streak to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most critical charge not aimed at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, coming close to securing something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the head coach argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Response

That was not completely the complete picture. There were spells in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition sporadic clapping. But mostly, there was a quiet stream to the subway. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”

Player Support Is Evident

“I have the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least for the media. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, meeting a point not quite in the center.

The longevity of a solution that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One small incident in the post-match press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that implication to linger, answering: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is implying.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-interest, 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 basic of expectations somehow being promoted as a type of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his doing. “I believe my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to change the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have observed a difference.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were with the coach, also replied with a figure: “100%.”

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

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been excellent. I individually have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the run of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations among ourselves.”

“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly talking as much about poor form as his own predicament.