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

No attacker in Los Blancos' history had gone without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a statement to deliver, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth game this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Manchester City. Then he spun and charged towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager on the edge for whom this could signal an even greater release.

“It’s a tough moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results aren't working out and I sought to prove the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been surrendered, a setback taking its place. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, struck the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Reserved Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. 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 insisted, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re behind the manager: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was withheld, consequences pending, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Form of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, not a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most damning criticism not aimed at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, almost salvaging something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the head coach said, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Muted Reaction

That was not completely the case. There were spells in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise some applause. But primarily, there was a subdued flow to the doors. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Backing Remains Strong

“I have the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had embraced him, finding somewhere not exactly in the middle.

Whether durable a solution that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor exchange in the after-game press conference appeared significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that idea to hang there, responding: “I have a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Resistance

Crucially though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this context, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a type of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their shortcomings were not his fault. “In my view my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The sole solution is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a change.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were with the coach, also answered in numbers: “100%.”

“We are continuing striving to work it out in the changing room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about trying to sort it out in there.”

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

“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about poor form as everything.