Alonso Navigating a Fine Tightrope at the Bernabéu Amidst Squad Support.

No attacker in Los Blancos' history had endured scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a message to deliver, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was beginning only his fifth match this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and charged towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could represent an more significant liberation.

“It’s a challenging moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results aren’t coming off and I sought to show the public that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been taken from them, another loss following. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” state, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, struck the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Suspended Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re with the coach: we have played well, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so judgment was postponed, sentencing delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Type of Setback

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, extending their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this was a little different. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the most obvious and most harsh accusation not levelled at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, nearly earning something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the manager said, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Response

That was not always the complete picture. There were moments in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, some of supporters had continued, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But primarily, there was a muted procession to the doors. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Backing Is Firm

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least in front of the media. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, finding common ground not quite in the center.

Whether durable a solution that is remains an open question. One little incident in the post-match press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that implication to remain unanswered, replying: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Crucially 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 publicly backed him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or mutual survival, but in this tense environment, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most basic of expectations somehow being elevated as a type of achievement.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his fault. “In my view my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a difference.”

Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were with the coach, also replied quantitatively: “100%.”

“We persist in trying to work it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been superb. I individually have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the run of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly speaking as much about adversity as his own predicament.