Alonso Navigating a Precarious Path at Madrid Despite Dressing Room Support.

No attacker in the club's history had gone without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a declaration to send, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth match this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the opening goal against the English champions. Then he wheeled and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could signal an profound release.

“It’s a tough period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results aren't working out and I wanted to prove the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been lost, another loss taking its place. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the bar in the dying moments.

A Reserved Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was withheld, sentencing delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Form of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their poor form to two wins in eight, but this was a little different. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the simplest and most harsh accusation not aimed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, almost earning something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the boss argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Bernabéu's Mixed Reception

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were periods in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At full time, some of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a muted flow to the exits. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Squad Unity Remains Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least for the media. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had embraced him, finding somewhere not exactly in the center.

How lasting a fix that is is still an matter of debate. One small incident in the after-game press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, replying: “I share a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Basis of Fight

Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a kind of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their shortcomings were not his doing. “In my view my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to change the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a difference.”

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

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

“In my opinion the coach has been excellent. I individually have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the run of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly referring as much about poor form as everything.