Xabi Alonso Walking a Thin Line at the Bernabéu Despite Dressing Room Backing.

No forward in Los Blancos' annals had experienced without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a statement to deliver, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was beginning only his fifth appearance this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Manchester City. Then he spun and sprinted towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could represent an profound relief.

“It’s a tough moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances aren’t coming off and I aimed to demonstrate everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been surrendered, a setback taking its place. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Reserved Sentence

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “Our performance proved that we’re with the manager: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was withheld, sentencing delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Kind of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, extending their poor form to two wins in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the easiest and most damning charge not levelled at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, nearly earning something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the head coach stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Muted Reaction

That was not always the complete picture. There were spells in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was also some applause. But for the most part, there was a muted stream to the doors. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Player Support Is Firm

“I feel the backing of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least for the media. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, finding common ground not precisely in the middle.

The longevity of a solution that is remains an unresolved issue. One little exchange in the post-match press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that idea to linger, responding: “I have a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Most importantly though, he could be content that there was a spirit, a response. 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 professionalism or self-preservation, but in this context, it was meaningful. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being elevated as a type of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his responsibility. “I think my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a shift.”

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

“We’re still trying to work it out in the locker room,” he said. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about striving to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the manager has been superb. I individually have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly talking as much about a difficult spell as anything else.