Manager Alonso Navigating a Thin Path at Madrid Amidst Player Support.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s history had gone failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a declaration to broadcast, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in almost a year and was starting only his fifth game this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he turned and charged towards the touchline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could signal an more significant release.

“This is a tough moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been taken from them, 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 “sensitive” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not pull off a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, hit the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Delayed Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the manager: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was reserved, any action suspended, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Form of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, continuing their recent run to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this felt a more respectable. This was Manchester City, not a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious 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 converted penalty, nearly securing something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the head coach stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Mixed Reception

That was not entirely the full story. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise some applause. But mostly, there was a quiet flow to the subway. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Backing Stands Firm

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least towards the media. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, reaching somewhere not quite in the center.

Whether durable a remedy that is continues to be an open question. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, responding: “I have a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is implying.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a response. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this context, it was meaningful. The intensity 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 achievement.

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

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

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

“In my opinion the gaffer has been excellent. I personally have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “After the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about a difficult spell as his own predicament.