Xabi Alonso Treading a Precarious Line at Madrid Despite Dressing Room Support.

No attacker in Los Blancos' record books had endured scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a message to send, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth game this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against the English champions. Then he wheeled and ran towards the bench to hug Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could represent an profound relief.

“This is a difficult time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Things aren't working out and I wanted to prove the public that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been surrendered, a defeat taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, hit the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Delayed Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re with the manager: we have played well, given 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was postponed, any action delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Type of Setback

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, continuing their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the easiest and most harsh criticism not directed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, nearly salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the manager argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Stadium's Mixed Reception

That was not entirely the full story. There were moments in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise some applause. But primarily, there was a muted stream to the subway. “That’s normal, 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 Is Firm

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, finding a point not exactly in the middle.

Whether durable a fix that is remains an open question. One seemingly minor exchange in the after-game press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that notion to linger, answering: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Above all though, he could be content that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most basic of standards somehow being promoted as a type of success.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their failings were not his doing. “I think my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a difference.”

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

“We are continuing attempting to figure it out in the changing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to fix it in there.”

“I think the manager has been great. I personally have a excellent rapport with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly referring as much about a difficult spell as anything else.