Alonso Navigating a Precarious Line at Madrid Even With Player Endorsement.

No forward in the club's annals had gone failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a declaration to deliver, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had not scored in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth match this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could prove an more significant liberation.

“This is a challenging period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances are not going our way and I sought to prove people that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been surrendered, another loss taking its place. 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. On this occasion, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, hit the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Reserved Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his job. “That wasn't our perception [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 understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re supporting the manager: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was withheld, sentencing delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Distinct Kind of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, not a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most harsh criticism not aimed at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, nearly securing something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Muted Reaction

That was not completely the case. There were moments in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise some applause. But primarily, there was a muted stream to the doors. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were instances when they clapped too.”

Player Backing Remains Strong

“I have the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least for the media. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, reaching somewhere not exactly in the middle.

How lasting a solution that is continues to be an open question. One seemingly minor incident in the after-game press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that notion to remain unanswered, responding: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Most importantly though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been for show, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this context, it was significant. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most basic of standards somehow being elevated as a form of achievement.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I think my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a difference.”

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

“We are continuing trying to solve it in the changing room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] speculation will not be helpful so it is about trying to sort it out in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been great. I personally have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly referring as much about a difficult spell as everything.