Alonso Navigating a Fine Tightrope at Madrid Amidst Dressing Room Support.

No attacker in Los Blancos' record books had experienced failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a statement to send, performed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth game this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the advantage against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and charged towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could signal an even greater release.

“It’s a tough moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results aren't working out and I wanted to show the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been lost, a defeat ensuing. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, hit the woodwork in the final seconds.

A Delayed Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep his role. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so judgment was postponed, any action delayed, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A More Credible Type of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, extending their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the simplest and most damning accusation not aimed at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, coming close to securing something at the death. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the head coach argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Bernabéu's Mixed Reception

That was not always the full story. There were moments in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, some of supporters had done so again, although there was also some applause. But for the most part, there was a subdued flow to the doors. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Player Backing Is Evident

“I feel the confidence of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least towards the media. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, finding common ground not quite in the center.

How lasting a solution that is continues to be an open question. One little incident in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that implication to remain unanswered, responding: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is implying.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a spirit, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of expectations somehow being framed as a type of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I believe my teammate Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The sole solution is [for] the players to alter the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a difference.”

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

“We’re still attempting to work it out in the dressing room,” he said. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about trying to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been excellent. I individually have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso mused, maybe talking as much about a difficult spell as everything.