Manager Alonso Navigating a Fine Path at Real Madrid Even With Player Backing.

No offensive player in Los Blancos' record books had gone without a goal for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth game this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against the English champions. Then he wheeled and charged towards the touchline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could represent an even greater release.

“This is a challenging moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results aren’t coming off and I sought to demonstrate people that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been taken from them, another loss following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played very little all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Delayed Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his position. “We didn’t feel that [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 perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re with the manager: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was reserved, any action delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A More Credible Form of Setback

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the easiest and most harsh criticism not directed at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, almost securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this performance, the manager said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Mixed Reception

That was not always the complete picture. There were spells in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had repeated that, although there was also some applause. But for the most part, there was a quiet flow to the exits. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Support Remains Evident

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had embraced him, reaching common ground not exactly in the middle.

The longevity of a solution that is is still an unresolved issue. One little incident in the post-match press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that idea to hang there, responding: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”

A Basis of Reaction

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall 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 context, it was meaningful. The effort with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of expectations somehow being framed as a kind of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his fault. “I believe my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a shift.”

Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were with the coach, also replied quantitatively: “100%.”

“We are continuing trying to work it out in the changing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about striving to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the coach has been superb. I personally have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations internally.”

“All things passes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps referring as much about poor form as his own predicament.