Xabi Alonso Treading a Thin Tightrope at Madrid Despite Dressing Room Endorsement.

No attacker in Los Blancos' annals had experienced without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a message to deliver, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had not scored in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth match this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and ran towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could represent an even greater liberation.

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

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been lost, a defeat ensuing. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Reserved Sentence

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re supporting the coach: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was reserved, sentencing delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second time in four days, continuing their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the simplest and most harsh criticism not directed at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, nearly salvaging something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the head coach stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Reaction

That was not completely the complete picture. There were spells in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was also sporadic clapping. But mostly, there was a subdued procession to the doors. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they applauded too.”

Player Unity Stands Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, finding a point not exactly in the compromise.

Whether durable a remedy that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that notion to linger, responding: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this context, it was important. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most basic of standards somehow being elevated as a kind of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his fault. “I believe my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a difference.”

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

“We’re still trying to solve it in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about trying to fix it in there.”

“I think the coach has been excellent. I personally have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps talking as much about a difficult spell as anything else.