Xabi Alonso Walking a Thin Line at Madrid Even With Dressing Room Support.

No forward in the club's record books had experienced failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a message to deliver, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was commencing only his fifth game this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he turned and ran towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could signal an even greater relief.

“This is a tough time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results aren’t coming off and I aimed to demonstrate everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been lost, a defeat ensuing. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Reserved Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, given 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was postponed, consequences pending, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Distinct Form of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the most obvious and most damning criticism not directed at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, coming close to earning something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the head coach said, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Mixed Response

That was not completely the case. There were periods in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued procession to the subway. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they applauded too.”

Player Support Is Evident

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least for the media. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, meeting common ground not exactly in the center.

How lasting a remedy that is remains an matter of debate. One little incident in the after-game press conference appeared significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that implication to linger, responding: “I have a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Basis of Fight

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been performative, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this context, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of expectations somehow being promoted as a form of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his fault. “I believe my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The sole solution is [for] the players to change the attitude. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a difference.”

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

“We are continuing attempting to figure it out in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“I think the coach has been excellent. I individually have a excellent relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the spell of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations among ourselves.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, perhaps referring as much about a difficult spell as everything.