Xabi Alonso Treading a Fine Tightrope at the Bernabéu Despite Player Endorsement.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s record books had gone failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a statement to deliver, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth appearance this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Manchester City. Then he spun and ran towards the bench to hug Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could represent an more significant relief.

“This is a tough time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results aren’t coming off and I sought to prove the public that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been taken from them, another loss following. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not engineer a recovery. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the bar in the dying moments.

A Delayed Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “Our performance proved that we’re behind the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was withheld, consequences delayed, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Type of Setback

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second time in four days, extending their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this was a little different. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most damning accusation not directed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, coming close to earning something at the end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this performance, the manager argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, not this time.

The Fans' Mixed Response

That was not entirely the case. There were spells in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a muted procession to the doors. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Player Backing Stands Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, meeting somewhere not exactly in the center.

The longevity of a solution that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One little incident in the post-match press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had let that notion to hang there, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”

A Basis of Fight

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this context, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most basic of standards somehow being framed as a form of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “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 linchpin and today we have seen a shift.”

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

“We’re still attempting to solve it in the locker room,” he said. “We know that the [outside] speculation will not be beneficial so it is about striving to fix it in there.”

“I think the coach has been great. I personally have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly talking as much about adversity as anything else.