Xabi Alonso Navigating a Precarious Tightrope at Madrid Despite Squad Endorsement.

No forward in the club's annals had gone without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a declaration to broadcast, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth match this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and charged towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could prove an profound relief.

“This is a challenging time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results aren’t coming off and I wanted to demonstrate everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, a setback ensuing. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Reserved Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his job. “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 understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re with the coach: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was postponed, consequences delayed, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Kind of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, continuing their poor form to two wins in eight, but this felt a little different. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the simplest and most harsh criticism not aimed at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, nearly salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this performance, the boss stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Mixed Reception

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, a section of supporters had repeated that, although there was in addition sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued flow to the exits. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Support Remains Firm

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they supported him too, at least towards the media. There has been a rapprochement, discussions: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had embraced him, meeting a point not quite in the middle.

Whether durable a fix that is remains an open question. One little exchange in the post-match press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had let that notion to remain unanswered, answering: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

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 defended him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of professionalism or mutual survival, but in this context, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of standards somehow being promoted as a form of achievement.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “I believe my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The sole solution is [for] the players to change the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have observed a change.”

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

“We are continuing striving to figure it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about striving to resolve it in there.”

“I think the coach has been great. I myself have a great connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the run of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about adversity as anything else.