Xabi Alonso Walking a Precarious Path at Real Madrid Despite Squad Support.

No attacker in Los Blancos' annals had endured failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a message to send, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth appearance this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the opening goal against the English champions. Then he wheeled and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could prove an even greater release.

“This is a tough period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results are not going our way and I sought to prove people that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been lost, a setback following. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” state, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Reserved Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the coach: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was postponed, sentencing suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Distinct Form of Setback

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, continuing their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was Manchester City, not a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most critical charge not levelled at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, nearly securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the head coach stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.

The Stadium's Mixed Reaction

That was not completely the full story. There were periods in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was also sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a muted stream to the subway. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Dressing Room Backing Is Strong

“I have the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least towards the media. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, finding common ground not exactly in the compromise.

The longevity of a solution that is continues to be an open question. One small incident in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that idea to remain unanswered, responding: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Fight

Most importantly though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they defended him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this climate, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of expectations somehow being framed as a kind of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his fault. “I think my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to improve the mindset. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a shift.”

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

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

“I think the coach has been superb. I personally have a excellent rapport with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the run of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe talking as much about poor form as his own predicament.