Xabi Alonso Navigating a Precarious Line at Madrid Amidst Player Backing.

No offensive player in Real Madrid’s annals had gone scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a declaration to broadcast, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was commencing only his fifth game this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against Manchester City. Then he spun and sprinted towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could represent an profound release.

“It’s a tough time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results aren’t coming off and I aimed to prove the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, a setback taking its place. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the bar in the final seconds.

A Reserved Sentence

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to keep his job. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois added. And so the axe was withheld, consequences pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Kind of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, extending their recent run to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was Manchester City, rather than a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the easiest and most harsh accusation not aimed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, coming close to salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the head coach stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Response

That was not always the complete picture. There were moments in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, some of supporters had continued, although there was likewise some applause. But mostly, there was a quiet flow to the doors. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Dressing Room Unity Is Evident

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least towards the media. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, meeting common ground not quite in the compromise.

How lasting a fix that is remains an open question. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that implication to hang there, answering: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”

A Basis of Resistance

Most importantly though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most basic of expectations somehow being promoted as a type of achievement.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his doing. “I believe my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a shift.”

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

“We are continuing attempting to figure it out in the locker room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about striving to fix it in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been excellent. I personally have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some really great conversations internally.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, perhaps referring as much about a difficult spell as his own predicament.