Xabi Alonso Treading a Fine Path at the Bernabéu Even With Dressing Room Backing.

No attacker in the club's record books had endured without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a declaration to deliver, performed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth appearance this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against the English champions. Then he spun and ran towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could prove an even greater release.

“This is a difficult time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren't working out and I wanted to demonstrate the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been lost, a setback following. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, struck the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Delayed Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The question was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn't view it as [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 perceived internally. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was postponed, consequences delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Type of Defeat

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 felt a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the simplest and most damning criticism not levelled at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, nearly salvaging something at the death. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the head coach said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reaction

That was not entirely the full story. There were moments in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was in addition sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued flow to the subway. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Backing Stands Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, finding common ground not quite in the middle.

The longevity of a remedy that is continues to be an open question. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that notion to remain unanswered, replying: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Resistance

Most importantly though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been performative, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of standards somehow being elevated as a type of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “In my view my teammate Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a change.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were behind the coach, also answered with a figure: “100%.”

“We’re still attempting to work it out in the locker room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be helpful so it is about striving to sort it out in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been great. I myself have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the run of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Every situation concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly talking as much about a difficult spell as anything else.