Manager Alonso Navigating a Fine Tightrope at Real Madrid Despite Player Backing.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s record books had endured failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a statement to broadcast, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was beginning only his fifth game this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could represent an profound release.

“This is a challenging period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances are not going our way and I wanted to show people that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been lost, a defeat following. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, struck the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Reserved Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep his job. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re behind the manager: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was postponed, consequences pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Type of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this was a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the simplest and most damning criticism not levelled at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, almost earning something at the end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the manager stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Mixed Reception

That was not completely the case. There were periods in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, some of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But primarily, there was a muted flow to the doors. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Squad Backing Stands Evident

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they supported him too, at least towards the media. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, finding a point not exactly in the compromise.

Whether durable a fix that is remains an unresolved issue. One small moment in the after-game press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that implication to linger, responding: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Above all though, he could be content that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most basic of standards somehow being framed as a type of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his fault. “I believe my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have observed a change.”

Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were with the coach, also responded with a figure: “100%.”

“We’re still striving to work it out in the locker room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about attempting to fix it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the manager has been superb. I personally have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the run of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly speaking as much about adversity as everything.