Alonso Treading a Fine Path at the Bernabéu Despite Squad Support.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s record books had gone without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a declaration to broadcast, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth match this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and ran towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could prove an more significant release.

“It’s a difficult period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things are not going our way and I wanted to show people that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been taken from them, a defeat ensuing. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, struck the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Reserved Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his role. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was perceived internally. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was withheld, any action pending, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Type of Setback

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the easiest and most damning charge not directed at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, nearly securing something at the end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the boss stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Mixed Response

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were periods in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a quiet stream to the doors. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Squad Unity Is Strong

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, meeting somewhere not quite in the middle.

How lasting a solution that is is still an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that notion to hang there, replying: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Above all though, he could be content that there was a spirit, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of obligation or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most basic of expectations somehow being framed as a form of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I believe my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to alter the attitude. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a shift.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were supporting the coach, also responded in numbers: “100%.”

“We’re still trying to work it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation 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 relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly talking as much about adversity as everything.