Manager Alonso Treading a Thin Tightrope at Madrid Amidst Player Endorsement.

No attacker in Los Blancos' history had gone failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was commencing only his fifth game this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could prove an even greater liberation.

“This is a tough period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances aren't working out and I aimed to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been taken from them, a defeat taking its place. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Reserved Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re supporting the coach: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was postponed, sentencing delayed, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Type of Setback

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their poor form to two wins in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, rather than a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most harsh accusation not levelled at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, almost securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the manager argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Stadium's Mixed Reception

That was not completely the complete picture. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At full time, some of supporters had continued, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a muted flow to the exits. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Player Support Stands Evident

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least for the public. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had considered them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, meeting common ground not exactly in the center.

The longevity of a solution that is remains an open question. One little incident in the after-game press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that notion to remain unanswered, replying: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Resistance

Most importantly though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been for show, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this climate, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of expectations somehow being elevated as a kind of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his fault. “In my view my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have seen a change.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were supporting the coach, also responded quantitatively: “100%.”

“We are continuing striving to figure it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be helpful so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been excellent. I myself have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about poor form as everything.