Manager Alonso Navigating a Thin Tightrope at Real Madrid Amidst Player Backing.

No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had experienced failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a statement to deliver, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was starting only his fifth game this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he turned and sprinted towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could prove an profound release.

“It’s a challenging moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things aren't working out and I sought to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been taken from them, a setback taking its place. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Verdict

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was postponed, any action pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their poor form to two wins in eight, but this felt a little different. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the simplest and most harsh charge not levelled at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, coming close to securing something at the death. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the manager said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Mixed Response

That was not always the full story. There were spells in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had continued, although there was in addition sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a muted stream to the subway. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they applauded too.”

Player Backing Stands Firm

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least towards the public. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had embraced him, meeting a point not exactly in the center.

The longevity of a fix that is remains an matter of debate. One small moment in the after-game press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, responding: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Basis of Fight

Crucially though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been for show, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this context, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of expectations somehow being framed as a type of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I think my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a change.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were behind the coach, also replied in numbers: “100%.”

“We persist in attempting to solve it in the changing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”

“In my opinion the gaffer has been excellent. I myself have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations internally.”

“All things passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps speaking as much about poor form as everything.