Xabi Alonso Walking a Precarious Line at Real Madrid Amidst Squad Support.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s record books had gone scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was released and he had a statement to deliver, acted out for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was starting only his fifth game this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against the English champions. Then he turned and ran towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could prove an even greater liberation.

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

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been surrendered, a setback ensuing. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. On this occasion, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, struck the bar in the closing stages.

A Reserved Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn't view it as [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 understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re supporting the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so the axe was withheld, consequences delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Type of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this felt a little different. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the simplest and most critical accusation not directed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, almost earning something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the manager stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Muted Response

That was not completely the full story. There were spells in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had continued, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a subdued stream to the subway. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Player Support Is Strong

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had embraced him, reaching a point not quite in the center.

How lasting a remedy that is is still an open question. One seemingly minor incident in the post-match press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that implication to remain unanswered, responding: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Above all though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of standards somehow being framed as a type of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his doing. “In my view my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the attitude. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have witnessed a difference.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were with the coach, also answered in numbers: “100%.”

“We are continuing trying to work it out in the locker room,” he continued. “We know that the [outside] noise will not be productive so it is about trying to fix it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been superb. I personally have a excellent rapport with him,” Bellingham added. “After the run of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe speaking as much about a difficult spell as everything.