Alonso Treading a Fine Tightrope at the Bernabéu Even With Dressing Room Support.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s annals had gone failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a statement to send, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had not scored in almost a year and was starting only his fifth match this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he turned and sprinted towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could represent an even greater relief.

“It’s a difficult period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren't working out and I aimed to prove everyone that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been taken from them, another loss ensuing. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “sensitive” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, struck the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Reserved Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to hold onto his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so judgment was reserved, sentencing delayed, with matches 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 poor form to just two victories in eight, but this was a more respectable. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most harsh accusation not levelled at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, coming close to salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the head coach argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reception

That was not always the complete picture. There were spells in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a quiet procession to the exits. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Backing Remains Evident

“I feel the confidence of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, reaching somewhere not quite in the compromise.

How lasting a remedy that is remains an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, replying: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was important. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of standards somehow being promoted as a type of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their failings were not his fault. “In my view my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a change.”

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

“We’re still attempting to work it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] speculation will not be helpful so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been excellent. I individually have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the run of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”

“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps speaking as much about poor form as anything else.