Manager Alonso Treading a Fine Line at the Bernabéu Even With Squad Support.

No attacker in the club's annals had endured without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a message to deliver, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth game this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and charged towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could prove an even greater liberation.

“It’s a difficult time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances aren’t coming off and I wanted to prove the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been lost, another loss following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, struck the bar in the dying moments.

A Delayed Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was reserved, consequences pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Type of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, continuing their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this was a little different. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most damning accusation not levelled at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, almost earning something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the manager stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Mixed Reaction

That was not always the full story. There were moments in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, some of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a muted procession to the doors. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Unity Is Firm

“I have the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the media. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, reaching a point not exactly in the compromise.

How lasting a fix that is continues to be an matter of debate. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that idea to remain unanswered, responding: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Most importantly though, he could be pleased 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. Part of it may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most basic of requirements somehow being elevated as a form of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “I believe my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to change the attitude. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have witnessed a shift.”

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

“We persist in attempting to figure it out in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to fix it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the manager has been great. I personally have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the run of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about a difficult spell as his own predicament.