Xabi Alonso Treading a Fine Tightrope at Madrid Even With Squad Support.

No forward in Los Blancos' history had endured failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a message to deliver, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth match this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and ran towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could represent an more significant relief.

“It’s a challenging time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results aren't working out and I sought to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been surrendered, a defeat ensuing. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Reserved Sentence

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his role. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re with the coach: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so judgment was postponed, sentencing delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Kind of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this felt a more respectable. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the easiest and most damning accusation not levelled at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, coming close to earning something at the death. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the boss said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Response

That was not completely the full story. There were moments in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was also sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a quiet flow to the exits. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Support Stands Evident

“I have the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, reaching somewhere not quite in the middle.

Whether durable a solution that is continues to be an matter of debate. One little exchange in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that idea to remain unanswered, answering: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Basis of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, 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 professionalism or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being framed as a kind of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly 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 after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have witnessed a difference.”

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

“We persist in striving to solve it in the locker room,” he continued. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”

“I think the manager has been excellent. I personally have a great connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe referring as much about poor form as his own predicament.