Manager Alonso Walking a Fine Path at Madrid Even With Squad Endorsement.

No attacker in the club's record books had experienced scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed 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 commencing only his fifth match this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could prove an even greater release.

“It’s a tough time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances 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 lead had been lost, a defeat taking its place. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the woodwork in the final seconds.

A Reserved Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re supporting the manager: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was withheld, sentencing pending, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Distinct Type of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, perpetuating their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this felt a more respectable. This was Manchester City, rather than a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most damning criticism not levelled at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, coming close to salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the head coach stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Reaction

That was not completely the complete picture. There were spells in the latter period, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was also some applause. But primarily, there was a quiet stream to the exits. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Squad Backing Remains Firm

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

The longevity of a fix that is continues to be an open question. One little moment in the post-match press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that idea to hang there, answering: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Most importantly 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 defended him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most basic of standards somehow being promoted as a form of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his doing. “In my view my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a shift.”

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

“We are continuing trying to figure it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be productive so it is about attempting to fix it in there.”

“In my opinion the manager has been great. I individually have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the run of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps talking as much about a difficult spell as anything else.