Alonso Navigating a Precarious Path at Real Madrid Even With Squad Backing.

No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had gone scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a message to deliver, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth match this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against the English champions. Then he turned and sprinted towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could prove an more significant liberation.

“It’s a challenging period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things aren't working out and I wanted to prove the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been taken from them, another loss ensuing. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the bar in the dying moments.

A Delayed Sentence

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re supporting the manager: we have given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, sentencing pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Type of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten 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 a European powerhouse, rather than a domestic opponent. Simplified, they had shown fight, the easiest and most harsh accusation not levelled at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, almost securing something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the manager stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Response

That was not completely the full story. There were periods in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At full time, a section of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But mostly, there was a subdued stream to the doors. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Player Support Remains Strong

“I sense the confidence of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, meeting common ground not precisely in the middle.

How lasting a remedy that is is still an matter of debate. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference appeared significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had let that idea to hang there, answering: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a resistance, a response. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this context, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a danger of the most basic of standards somehow being elevated as a type of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I believe 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 attitude. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a difference.”

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

“We are continuing attempting to figure it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about striving to fix it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the coach has been superb. I individually have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the run of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps speaking as much about a difficult spell as anything else.