Xabi Alonso Treading a Precarious Line at Real Madrid Amidst Player Backing.

No offensive player in Real Madrid’s annals had gone scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a message to broadcast, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth game this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and ran towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could prove an profound liberation.

“This is a difficult time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren’t coming off and I sought to prove the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been surrendered, another loss following. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” state, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not engineer a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the bar in the dying moments.

A Suspended Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was felt privately. “We have shown that we’re behind the coach: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was reserved, sentencing delayed, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Type of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, extending their poor form to two wins in eight, but this felt a little different. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most critical charge not levelled at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, nearly earning something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the boss said, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reaction

That was not entirely the case. There were moments in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, some of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But primarily, there was a subdued flow to the exits. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they applauded too.”

Player Unity Stands Strong

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least for the public. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, meeting a point not exactly in the compromise.

The longevity of a remedy that is remains an matter of debate. One small moment in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had let that implication to remain unanswered, responding: “I share a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Above all though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a pushback. 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 obligation or self-interest, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being elevated as a type of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “In my view my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to improve the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have observed a difference.”

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

“We’re still attempting to figure it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about trying to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been superb. I myself have a excellent relationship with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the run of games where we were held a few, we had some really great conversations internally.”

“Every situation concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly talking as much about poor form as everything.