Xabi Alonso Navigating a Fine Line at the Bernabéu Despite Dressing Room Support.

No attacker in Los Blancos' record books had gone failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a message to broadcast, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was starting only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and charged towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could represent an more significant liberation.

“This is a tough moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Things aren’t coming off and I aimed to prove the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been surrendered, another loss following. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, rattled the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Delayed Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the coach: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was postponed, any action pending, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Type of Setback

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the simplest and most critical accusation not levelled at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, coming close to securing something at the death. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the head coach said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Mixed Response

That was not completely the complete picture. There were moments in the latter period, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had repeated that, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But primarily, there was a muted flow to the doors. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Squad Support Stands Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had considered them, arguably more than they had embraced him, reaching somewhere not exactly in the compromise.

Whether durable a solution that is is still an open question. One small incident in the post-match press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that implication to hang there, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Fight

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 professionalism or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most basic of standards somehow being promoted as a form of achievement.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “I believe my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have seen a difference.”

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

“We’re still striving to solve it in the locker room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”

“I think the manager has been great. I myself have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations among ourselves.”

“Every situation passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly talking as much about a difficult spell as everything.