Manager Alonso Walking a Precarious Path at Real Madrid Even With Dressing Room Support.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s annals had gone failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a statement to deliver, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was starting only his fifth match this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and ran towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could represent an even greater release.

“It’s a challenging period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things aren’t coming off and I wanted to show people that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been lost, a defeat taking its place. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Reserved Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his job. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re with the manager: we have played well, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was reserved, any action pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Form of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this was a little different. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the simplest and most critical accusation not levelled at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, almost earning something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the manager argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Mixed Reception

That was not entirely the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But primarily, there was a quiet procession to the exits. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they applauded too.”

Player Support Is Evident

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, meeting a point not quite in the middle.

How lasting a solution that is remains an matter of debate. One small exchange in the after-game press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had let that notion to linger, answering: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of 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 given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been performative, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of expectations somehow being framed as a type of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his doing. “In my view my colleague 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 linchpin and today we have witnessed a shift.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were with the coach, also responded in numbers: “100%.”

“We are continuing attempting to work it out in the changing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be productive so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”

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

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