Xabi Alonso Navigating a Precarious Tightrope at Madrid Amidst Dressing Room Endorsement.

No attacker in the club's annals had endured scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a declaration to send, acted out for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was commencing only his fifth game this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and ran towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could signal an profound release.

“This is a difficult period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “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 lost, a setback ensuing. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, struck the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Sentence

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re supporting the manager: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was withheld, any action suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Kind of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this felt a little different. This was the Premier League champions, not a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the simplest and most critical criticism not aimed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, almost securing something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the manager stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Mixed Response

That was not always the complete picture. There were spells in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, some of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued procession to the doors. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Squad Unity Stands Firm

“I have the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, reaching common ground not quite in the compromise.

How lasting a solution that is is still an open question. One small exchange in the post-match press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that notion to remain unanswered, replying: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Resistance

Most importantly though, he could be content that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of requirements somehow being framed as a type of positive.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “I believe 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 attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a change.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were with the coach, also answered in numbers: “100%.”

“We persist in trying to solve it in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”

“I think the coach has been superb. I personally have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the spell of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about adversity as everything.