Xabi Alonso Navigating a Thin Line at the Bernabéu Despite Player Endorsement.

No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had experienced without a goal for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a statement to deliver, performed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was starting only his fifth appearance this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Manchester City. Then he turned and sprinted towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could signal an profound relief.

“This is a challenging period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances are not going our way and I wanted to demonstrate people that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been lost, a defeat taking its place. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “sensitive” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the bar in the dying moments.

A Reserved Verdict

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo admitted. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to keep his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re with the manager: we have given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was postponed, sentencing suspended, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Form of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their poor form to two wins in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the most obvious and most damning accusation not aimed at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, coming close to securing something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the boss stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reaction

That was not entirely the case. There were moments in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was also sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a muted stream to the subway. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Squad Unity Remains Strong

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least in front of the media. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, finding common ground not exactly in the compromise.

The longevity of a fix that is is still an matter of debate. One little incident in the after-game press conference appeared significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, responding: “I share a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is implying.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been performative, done out of duty or mutual survival, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most basic of standards somehow being elevated as a kind of positive.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I believe my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a shift.”

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

“We’re still trying to solve it in the dressing room,” he continued. “We know that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”

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

“Every situation concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe referring as much about a difficult spell as his own predicament.