Manager Alonso Walking a Thin Tightrope at the Bernabéu Despite Dressing Room Support.

No offensive player in the club's history had endured scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth game this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and sprinted towards the bench to hug Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could signal an profound relief.

“This is a tough period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results are not going our way and I wanted to demonstrate everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been surrendered, another loss following. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not engineer a recovery. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Reserved Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his role. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re with the manager: we have given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was postponed, consequences pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Type of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, extending their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was a European powerhouse, not a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had shown fight, the simplest and most critical accusation not directed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, coming close to earning something at the death. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the head coach said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Muted Reception

That was not entirely the full story. There were moments in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a muted flow to the subway. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they applauded too.”

Squad Support Is Firm

“I sense the confidence of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, reaching somewhere not quite in the compromise.

The longevity of a remedy that is is still an open question. One small exchange in the after-game press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that implication to hang there, replying: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Resistance

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been performative, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The effort with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most basic of expectations somehow being framed as a form of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his fault. “I believe my teammate Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to change the mindset. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a difference.”

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

“We’re still trying to figure it out in the changing room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation will not be beneficial so it is about striving to resolve it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the manager has been excellent. I individually have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe talking as much about poor form as anything else.