Alonso Treading a Precarious Tightrope at Madrid Despite Dressing Room Support.

No offensive player in the club's history had experienced without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a message to deliver, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was beginning only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against the English champions. Then he turned and sprinted towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could signal an profound release.

“This is a difficult time for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Things are not going our way and I sought to show everyone that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, a defeat taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois added. And so the axe was reserved, any action pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Distinct Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was Manchester City, rather than a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the simplest and most harsh criticism not directed at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, coming close to securing something at the end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this performance, the head coach argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Muted Reaction

That was not always the case. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, some of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition some applause. But primarily, there was a subdued flow to the doors. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Squad Unity Is Strong

“I feel the confidence of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least for the public. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, finding somewhere not precisely in the middle.

Whether durable a solution that is is still an matter of debate. One small moment in the post-match press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had let that idea to remain unanswered, replying: “I share a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of professionalism or mutual survival, but in this context, it was meaningful. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most basic of requirements somehow being elevated as a form of success.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their shortcomings were not his doing. “In my view my teammate Aurélien nailed 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 linchpin and today we have seen a difference.”

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

“We’re still trying to solve it in the changing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the manager has been excellent. I individually have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “After the run of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations among ourselves.”

“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe speaking as much about adversity as anything else.