Xabi Alonso Treading a Fine Line at Real Madrid Despite Dressing Room Endorsement.

No attacker in the club's record books had experienced without a goal for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a declaration to deliver, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had not scored in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth game this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against Manchester City. Then he turned and ran towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could represent an profound relief.

“It’s a difficult time for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances are not going our way and I aimed to prove the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been lost, another loss taking its place. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played very little all season, rattled the bar in the final seconds.

A Delayed Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re with the coach: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was reserved, sentencing suspended, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Form of Setback

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their poor form to two wins in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was Manchester City, rather than a domestic opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the easiest and most damning accusation not directed at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, coming close to salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the manager stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Muted Reception

That was not completely the complete picture. There were periods in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise some applause. But mostly, there was a muted flow to the exits. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they applauded too.”

Squad Support Remains Firm

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least for the media. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, finding common ground not precisely in the middle.

How lasting a fix that is remains an unresolved issue. One small incident in the after-game press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had let that notion to linger, responding: “I have a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Fight

Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was important. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a danger of the most fundamental of standards somehow being framed as a type of success.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “In my view my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to change the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a change.”

Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were with the coach, also answered quantitatively: “100%.”

“We persist in striving to work it out in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”

“I think the manager has been excellent. I personally have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the run of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps talking as much about a difficult spell as anything else.