Xabi Alonso Walking a Precarious Line at Madrid Even With Dressing Room Backing.

No attacker in the club's history had endured scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a message to deliver, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth match this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and charged towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could prove an profound relief.

“It’s a challenging period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances aren't working out and I wanted to show the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been taken from them, another loss taking its place. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the coach: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, consequences pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Type of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, continuing their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the simplest and most harsh accusation not levelled at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, almost securing something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the manager argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Mixed Reaction

That was not entirely the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had done so again, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a quiet stream to the subway. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Unity Is Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they supported him too, at least for the media. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had embraced him, meeting a point not quite in the compromise.

Whether durable a solution that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One little moment in the post-match press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that notion to remain unanswered, 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 Reaction

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a response. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of duty 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 framed as a kind of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his doing. “In my view my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to change the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a shift.”

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

“We persist in trying to figure it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about striving to fix it in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been great. I personally have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps speaking as much about poor form as anything else.