Xabi Alonso Treading a Fine Tightrope at Real Madrid Amidst Player Backing.

No forward in Los Blancos' history had gone scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a declaration to broadcast, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth match this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and ran towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could prove an even greater release.

“This is a difficult moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Things aren't working out and I wanted to demonstrate people that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been lost, a defeat following. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not pull off a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Suspended Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re supporting the coach: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was postponed, any action delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Form of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match 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 La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most harsh criticism not directed at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, almost earning something at the death. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the boss argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Muted Response

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were periods in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But mostly, there was a quiet procession to the subway. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Unity Remains Strong

“I feel the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had considered them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, reaching somewhere not quite in the middle.

How lasting a remedy that is continues to be an matter of debate. One small incident in the after-game press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that notion to linger, responding: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Basis of Resistance

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, 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 obligation or mutual survival, but in this context, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a danger of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being elevated as a form of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “I believe my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have seen a shift.”

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

“We persist in trying to work it out in the dressing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to fix it in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been excellent. I myself have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham added. “After the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations among ourselves.”

“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about poor form as everything.