Xabi Alonso Treading a Fine Tightrope at the Bernabéu Amidst Player Endorsement.

No offensive player in Real Madrid’s annals had endured without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a declaration to send, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth appearance this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager on the edge for whom this could represent an profound liberation.

“This is a difficult time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things are not going our way and I aimed to show the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been taken from them, another loss taking its place. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to keep his job. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re behind the manager: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was withheld, consequences pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Type of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second match in four days, extending their uninspiring streak to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this was a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most harsh criticism not directed at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, coming close to earning something at the death. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Mixed Response

That was not entirely the case. There were spells in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had continued, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a muted flow to the doors. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”

Player Unity Remains Strong

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso said. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, finding a point not quite in the middle.

The longevity of a remedy that is remains an unresolved issue. One little moment in the after-game press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that implication to linger, answering: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Most importantly though, he could be content that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this context, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most basic of requirements somehow being elevated as a kind of positive.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I think my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to improve the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a change.”

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

“We’re still attempting to work it out in the changing room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”

“I think the manager has been great. I individually have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly referring as much about adversity as his own predicament.