Alonso Navigating a Precarious Line at the Bernabéu Despite Dressing Room Backing.

No offensive player in Real Madrid’s annals had endured failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a message to broadcast, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth game this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he turned and sprinted towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could signal an even greater relief.

“This is a tough moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Things aren’t coming off and I sought to show everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been surrendered, a setback following. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not pull off a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, rattled the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Delayed Sentence

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re with the manager: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was withheld, sentencing pending, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Kind of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, perpetuating their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a domestic opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the simplest and most damning accusation not levelled at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, almost earning something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the boss stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reception

That was not completely the full story. There were periods in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, some of supporters had done so again, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a muted flow to the subway. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Squad Support Remains Evident

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had embraced him, reaching somewhere not exactly in the compromise.

The longevity of a remedy that is remains an matter of debate. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had let that notion to linger, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this context, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of expectations somehow being framed as a form of positive.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I think my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The sole solution is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a change.”

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

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

“Personally, I feel the manager has been great. I individually have a great connection with him,” Bellingham added. “After the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“Every situation concludes in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe talking as much about a difficult spell as everything.