Manager Alonso Treading a Thin Tightrope at the Bernabéu Even With Squad Backing.

No offensive player in Los Blancos' record books had experienced failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a message to deliver, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth match this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and ran towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could prove an more significant release.

“It’s a challenging moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results aren’t coming off and I sought to show people that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been taken from them, another loss ensuing. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not engineer a recovery. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “Our performance proved that we’re behind the manager: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was postponed, any action suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, extending their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, not a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most harsh charge not directed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, coming close to salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the manager argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reception

That was not completely the complete picture. There were moments in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise some applause. But for the most part, there was a quiet procession to the subway. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Player Backing Stands Strong

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, finding somewhere not exactly in the center.

The longevity of a remedy that is is still an matter of debate. One small moment in the after-game press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had permitted 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 talking about.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this climate, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of standards somehow being framed as a kind of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “I think my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a difference.”

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

“We’re still attempting to figure it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been excellent. I myself have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the spell of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe referring as much about a difficult spell as his own predicament.