Manager Alonso Walking a Precarious Line at Real Madrid Despite Squad Support.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s annals had endured without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was released and he had a message to send, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was beginning only his fifth game this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he spun and charged towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could represent an even greater release.

“This is a tough moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results aren't working out and I aimed to prove everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been lost, a setback ensuing. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” state, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, hit the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Reserved Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “Our performance proved that we’re behind the manager: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so judgment was reserved, sentencing suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Type of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, not a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the easiest and most damning charge not directed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, coming close to securing something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the head coach argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Reception

That was not entirely the case. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a subdued procession to the exits. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were instances when they applauded too.”

Player Support Is Evident

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least in front of the media. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, meeting somewhere not precisely in the compromise.

The longevity of a solution that is is still an open question. One small exchange in the post-match press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that idea to linger, responding: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Most importantly though, he could be content that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been for show, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this context, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of requirements somehow being elevated as a type of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his doing. “In my view my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a change.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were supporting the coach, also replied quantitatively: “100%.”

“We are continuing trying to figure it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about striving to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the gaffer has been excellent. I myself have a excellent relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly referring as much about adversity as everything.