Alonso Treading a Fine Line at Real Madrid Even With Player Endorsement.

No offensive player in Los Blancos' annals had gone failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a declaration to send, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in almost a year and was starting only his fifth appearance this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Manchester City. Then he spun and ran towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could signal an more significant release.

“This is a tough period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things aren't working out and I sought to show everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been taken from them, a setback following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Suspended Sentence

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his role. “We didn’t feel that [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 perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re with the manager: we have given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so the axe was reserved, consequences pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this felt a more respectable. This was a European powerhouse, not a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most critical charge not levelled at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, coming close to earning something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the manager argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Muted Response

That was not completely the case. There were periods in the latter period, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise some applause. But primarily, there was a muted flow to the subway. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”

Squad Unity Remains Strong

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had embraced him, reaching a point not precisely in the compromise.

Whether durable a remedy that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor incident in the post-match press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that implication to remain unanswered, replying: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Most importantly though, he could be satisfied that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been performative, done out of obligation or self-interest, but in this context, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of standards somehow being elevated as a form of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a strategy, that their failings were not his fault. “I think my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to change the mindset. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a difference.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were behind the coach, also answered quantitatively: “100%.”

“We’re still striving to solve it in the locker room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the manager has been great. I personally have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe referring as much about a difficult spell as anything else.