Alonso Navigating a Precarious Line at the Bernabéu Even With Squad Endorsement.

No attacker in the club's annals had endured scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a declaration to deliver, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was beginning only his fifth match this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against the English champions. Then he wheeled and charged towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could prove an even greater release.

“It’s a tough moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances aren't working out and I sought to demonstrate the public that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, another loss taking its place. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” state, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the woodwork in the final seconds.

A Delayed Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his job. “We didn't view it as [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 coach: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was withheld, sentencing delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A More Credible Kind of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, rather than a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the simplest and most damning criticism not directed at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, coming close to earning something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this performance, the boss argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Mixed Reception

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were moments in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was in addition some applause. But mostly, there was a muted procession to the subway. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Player Backing Is Firm

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, meeting somewhere not quite in the center.

The longevity of a remedy that is is still an matter of debate. One small moment in the after-game press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that implication to linger, replying: “I share a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Basis of Reaction

Above all though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was meaningful. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being framed as a kind of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I think my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The sole solution is [for] the players to change the attitude. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a shift.”

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

“We persist in attempting to figure it out in the locker room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about striving to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been great. I myself have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps speaking as much about a difficult spell as his own predicament.