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

No offensive player in Los Blancos' record books had experienced failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a message to send, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth match this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against the English champions. Then he turned and ran towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could represent an more significant release.

“It’s a tough time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been surrendered, a setback following. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, rattled the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Delayed Verdict

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his job. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the coach: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, any action suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Type of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second time in four days, extending their recent run to two wins in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the easiest and most harsh criticism not directed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, nearly salvaging something at the death. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the manager said, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Mixed Response

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were moments in the latter period, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a quiet procession to the subway. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Unity Remains Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they supported him too, at least for the public. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, meeting a point not precisely in the compromise.

How lasting a solution that is remains an open question. One small incident in the after-game press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that notion to remain unanswered, replying: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Most importantly though, he could be content that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of duty or mutual survival, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a danger of the most basic of expectations somehow being elevated as a type of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his doing. “I think my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the attitude. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have seen a shift.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were behind the coach, also replied in numbers: “100%.”

“We persist in striving to figure it out in the changing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about striving to fix it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been excellent. I personally have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations among ourselves.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, perhaps speaking as much about a difficult spell as anything else.