Xabi Alonso Treading a Precarious Line at Real Madrid Even With Player Support.

No forward in the club's annals had experienced scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a statement to send, acted out for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth game this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against the English champions. Then he wheeled and ran towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could signal an more significant release.

“This is a tough period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances aren't working out and I sought to demonstrate everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been lost, another loss following. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the bar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to hold onto his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the coach: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was reserved, consequences suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Distinct Kind of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the easiest and most critical criticism not directed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, nearly earning something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the manager argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Reception

That was not completely the full story. There were moments in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was in addition some applause. But for the most part, there was a quiet stream to the exits. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Squad Unity Stands Strong

“I have the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they supported him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, finding a point not quite in the middle.

How lasting a fix that is is still an open question. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had let that notion to remain unanswered, replying: “I share a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this context, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being promoted as a type of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a strategy, that their failings were not his doing. “In my view my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the mindset. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a difference.”

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

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

“I think the gaffer has been great. I personally have a great connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the run of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

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