Manager Alonso Treading a Thin Tightrope at Real Madrid Despite Player Endorsement.

No offensive player in the club's annals had endured failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a declaration to send, acted out for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was commencing only his fifth appearance this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could prove an even greater release.

“It’s a challenging moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results aren't working out and I wanted to show everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, another loss following. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had responded. On this occasion, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, rattled the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Delayed Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re supporting the coach: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was withheld, any action suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Type of Setback

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second time in four days, extending their recent run to two wins in eight, but this felt a more respectable. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the easiest and most critical criticism not aimed at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, coming close to salvaging something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight.

The Bernabéu's Muted Response

That was not completely the complete picture. There were periods in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise some applause. But primarily, there was a muted stream to the subway. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Player Support Is Evident

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had considered them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, meeting somewhere not exactly in the compromise.

How lasting a solution that is remains an unresolved issue. One small exchange in the post-match press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that implication to remain unanswered, replying: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a response. 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-preservation, but in this climate, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being elevated as a form of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I believe my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have seen a change.”

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

“We are continuing striving to work it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about trying to sort it out in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been superb. I personally have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

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