Manager Alonso Navigating a Fine Tightrope at Real Madrid Even With Player Support.

No forward in Los Blancos' annals had experienced without a goal for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a statement to deliver, acted out for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth match this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the advantage against Manchester City. Then he turned and ran towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could signal an even greater liberation.

“It’s a challenging period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results are not going our way and I sought to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, a defeat following. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played very little all season, rattled the bar in the final seconds.

A Delayed Sentence

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was reserved, consequences delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Distinct Kind of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was Manchester City, rather than a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most harsh criticism not levelled at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, coming close to salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Ambivalent Response

That was not entirely the full story. There were periods in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was in addition some applause. But mostly, there was a subdued procession to the doors. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were instances when they clapped too.”

Squad Unity Remains Strong

“I feel the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had embraced him, reaching a point not quite in the center.

Whether durable a solution that is remains an matter of debate. One small incident in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that notion to hang there, responding: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Most importantly though, he could be satisfied that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being elevated as a form of positive.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his fault. “In my view my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a change.”

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

“We’re still trying to work it out in the changing room,” he continued. “We know that the [outside] noise will not be productive so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“I think the coach has been excellent. I individually have a excellent relationship with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, perhaps referring as much about poor form as everything.