Xabi Alonso Navigating a Precarious Path at Madrid Despite Squad Support.

No attacker in the club's record books had gone scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a statement to send, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth appearance this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and charged towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could signal an profound relief.

“This is a difficult moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren't working out and I sought to prove the public that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been taken from them, another loss taking its place. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the bar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Sentence

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, 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 performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was reserved, consequences delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Form of Defeat

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, continuing their poor form to two wins in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, not a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the easiest and most harsh accusation not directed at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, almost securing something at the end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the manager said, and there could be “no blame” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Muted Reception

That was not always the case. There were spells in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, a portion of supporters had done so again, although there was also sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a quiet stream to the exits. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Dressing Room Unity Is Evident

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, reaching somewhere not precisely in the middle.

Whether durable a solution that is is still an open question. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that notion to linger, answering: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Fight

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a pushback. 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 obligation or self-interest, but in this context, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a danger of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being framed as a kind of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their shortcomings were not his fault. “I think my teammate Aurélien said 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 seen a difference.”

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

“We’re still striving to figure it out in the changing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about striving to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the manager has been excellent. I individually have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”

“Every situation concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly talking as much about poor form as anything else.