Manager Alonso Walking a Thin Line at Real Madrid Amidst Dressing Room Endorsement.

No forward in Los Blancos' annals had endured without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had not scored in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth game this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and charged towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager on the edge for whom this could prove an profound relief.

“This is a difficult time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been surrendered, a setback ensuing. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” state, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the bar in the dying moments.

A Suspended Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was withheld, any action suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their uninspiring streak to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this felt a little different. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most damning criticism not levelled at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, coming close to earning something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the head coach stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reaction

That was not entirely the case. There were spells in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had repeated that, although there was in addition some applause. But mostly, there was a subdued flow to the doors. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Player Unity Remains Strong

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least for the public. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, reaching somewhere not precisely in the center.

Whether durable a solution that is remains an open question. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that implication to linger, answering: “I share a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”

A Basis of Fight

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a pushback. 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 tense environment, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of standards somehow being promoted as a type of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his fault. “In my view my teammate Aurélien nailed 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 crucial element and today we have witnessed a difference.”

Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were supporting the coach, also replied quantitatively: “100%.”

“We persist in trying to figure it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been excellent. I individually have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham added. “After the run of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations among ourselves.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso mused, maybe referring as much about a difficult spell as everything.