Manager Alonso Navigating a Fine Tightrope at Real Madrid Even With Player Endorsement.

No offensive player in Los Blancos' record books had gone without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a declaration to send, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against the English champions. Then he turned and charged towards the touchline to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could represent an profound relief.

“It’s a challenging moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances aren't working out and I aimed to prove everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been surrendered, a setback following. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not engineer a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the bar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was withheld, sentencing suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Kind of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their poor form to two wins in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most critical charge not levelled at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, almost securing something at the end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this performance, the manager stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Fans' Mixed Response

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, some of supporters had continued, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a muted procession to the subway. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Squad Backing Stands Firm

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, finding a point not quite in the middle.

Whether durable a remedy that is is still an matter of debate. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that implication to hang there, responding: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Basis of Fight

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being elevated as a type of success.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “In my view my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a shift.”

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

“We persist in striving to solve it in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the coach has been great. I personally have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the spell of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps talking as much about a difficult spell as everything.