Alonso Navigating a Thin Line at the Bernabéu Despite Dressing Room Backing.

No offensive player in the club's record books had gone scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against Manchester City. Then he turned and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could prove an profound release.

“This is a tough time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results aren’t coming off and I wanted to prove people that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, another loss following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Suspended Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was reserved, sentencing pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A More Credible Type of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, extending their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this was a more respectable. This was a European powerhouse, not a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the easiest and most damning accusation not directed at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, nearly earning something at the end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the manager said, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.

The Fans' Muted Response

That was not always the complete picture. There were moments in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, some of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But primarily, there was a muted flow to the doors. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Squad Backing Stands Evident

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, reaching a point not quite in the compromise.

Whether durable a solution that is is still an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that notion to linger, answering: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Basis of Resistance

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they defended him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of duty or mutual survival, but in this tense environment, 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 kind of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly 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 sole solution is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a shift.”

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

“We are continuing striving to solve it in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about trying to fix it in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been great. I personally have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

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