Manager Alonso Treading a Thin Tightrope at Real Madrid Even With Dressing Room Endorsement.

No attacker in Los Blancos' annals had experienced scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a statement to broadcast, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was starting only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against the English champions. Then he turned and charged towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could represent an even greater liberation.

“It’s a difficult moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results are not going our way and I wanted to show everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been surrendered, a setback ensuing. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” state, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not engineer a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, struck the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Delayed Sentence

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re behind the manager: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was withheld, any action pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A More Credible Form of Setback

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, extending their recent run to two wins in eight, but this felt a little different. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had shown fight, the easiest and most harsh accusation not aimed at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, nearly earning something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the boss stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Reaction

That was not completely the case. There were moments in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had continued, although there was also some applause. But mostly, there was a muted flow to the doors. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they applauded too.”

Squad Backing Remains Evident

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least towards the media. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, finding common ground not quite in the compromise.

Whether durable a remedy that is remains an matter of debate. One seemingly minor incident in the after-game press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that idea to hang there, responding: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Above all 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 publicly backed him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of standards somehow being elevated as a type of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I think my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to alter the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a change.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were supporting the coach, also responded with a figure: “100%.”

“We’re still attempting to figure it out in the dressing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be helpful so it is about striving to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the gaffer has been great. I personally have a excellent relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”

“Every situation passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly referring as much about a difficult spell as his own predicament.