Manager Alonso Walking a Precarious Tightrope at the Bernabéu Despite Squad Endorsement.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s record books had endured without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a declaration to send, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth match this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and sprinted towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could represent an even greater relief.

“It’s a tough time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results aren’t coming off and I wanted to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been taken from them, a defeat following. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not pull off a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, struck the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Suspended Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the coach: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was withheld, any action suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A More Credible Kind of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this was a little different. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most damning charge not levelled at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, almost earning something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the boss said, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.

The Fans' Muted Reaction

That was not always the case. There were moments in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a quiet procession to the doors. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Squad Support Stands Firm

“I feel the confidence of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the public. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, meeting common ground not precisely in the compromise.

Whether durable a solution that is remains an matter of debate. One small incident in the post-match press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that notion to linger, replying: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Basis of Reaction

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-interest, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being elevated as a type of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I think 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 attitude. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a shift.”

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

“We’re still trying to solve it in the locker room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”

“In my opinion the gaffer has been excellent. I personally have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly speaking as much about a difficult spell as anything else.