Alonso Treading a Fine Tightrope at Real Madrid Amidst Squad Backing.

No forward in Los Blancos' record books had endured without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a message to send, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was beginning only his fifth appearance this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could prove an profound release.

“It’s a tough period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results are not going our way and I sought to prove everyone that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been lost, a defeat taking its place. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” state, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Suspended Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, given 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was postponed, consequences pending, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A More Credible Type of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most critical accusation not directed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, nearly salvaging something at the end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the manager stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reaction

That was not always the full story. There were spells in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At full time, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was also sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued procession to the doors. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they clapped too.”

Squad Backing Stands Strong

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least towards the media. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, finding common ground not quite in the center.

How lasting a fix that is is still an matter of debate. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that implication to hang there, replying: “I have a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Most importantly though, he could be satisfied that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a type of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his doing. “In my view my colleague Aurélien said 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 witnessed a change.”

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

“We are continuing attempting to solve it in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been superb. I myself have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the spell of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“All things passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, perhaps speaking as much about adversity as anything else.