Xabi Alonso Treading a Precarious Tightrope at Real Madrid Despite Squad Support.

No attacker in the club's annals had experienced failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a declaration to send, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was starting only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against the English champions. Then he wheeled and ran towards the touchline to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could signal an even greater release.

“It’s a tough time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things aren't working out and I aimed to prove everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been lost, a defeat taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, struck the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Reserved Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, 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 given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was withheld, any action pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A More Credible Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had actually run, the easiest and most harsh charge not levelled at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, coming close to securing something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the head coach argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Stadium's Muted Reception

That was not always the complete picture. There were periods in the latter period, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a muted stream to the doors. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Backing Remains Strong

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the media. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had embraced him, reaching common ground not precisely in the compromise.

The longevity of a fix that is is still an matter of debate. One seemingly minor incident in the post-match press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that idea to hang there, answering: “I have a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Basis of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this context, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a danger of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being promoted as a type of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his doing. “In my view my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a change.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were supporting the coach, also replied in numbers: “100%.”

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

“I think the manager has been superb. I myself have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“Every situation concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly referring as much about adversity as anything else.