Alonso Treading a Thin Tightrope at the Bernabéu Even With Squad Endorsement.

No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had endured scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a declaration to broadcast, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was commencing only his fifth appearance this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the advantage against the English champions. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could prove an profound relief.

“It’s a tough moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things aren’t coming off and I sought to prove everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been taken from them, a setback following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not engineer a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, rattled the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Reserved Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to keep his position. “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. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so the axe was reserved, sentencing suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Kind of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, extending their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this felt a little different. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most damning criticism not aimed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, nearly salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this performance, the boss stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Bernabéu's Muted Reception

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise some applause. But for the most part, there was a quiet flow to the doors. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Player Backing Stands Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least for the media. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had embraced him, reaching common ground not precisely in the middle.

Whether durable a solution that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that idea to hang there, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is implying.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been for show, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most basic of standards somehow being framed as a form of positive.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his doing. “In my view my teammate Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a change.”

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

“We are continuing attempting to work it out in the dressing room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been great. I personally have a excellent rapport with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe referring as much about poor form as his own predicament.