Xabi Alonso Navigating a Precarious Line at the Bernabéu Amidst Dressing Room Backing.

No attacker in the club's history had gone scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth appearance this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against the English champions. 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 challenging time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results aren't working out and I aimed to show the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been lost, another loss taking its place. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Delayed Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to keep his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, any action delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Form of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the easiest and most critical accusation not aimed at them this time. With eight men 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 performance, the boss said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reaction

That was not always the complete picture. There were spells in the latter period, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was also sporadic clapping. But mostly, there was a quiet flow to the exits. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Squad Backing Is Strong

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, reaching somewhere not precisely in the center.

How lasting a fix that is is still an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor exchange in the after-game press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had let that notion to linger, answering: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Above all though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was meaningful. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most basic of expectations somehow being elevated as a type of positive.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his fault. “I think my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a difference.”

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

“We’re still trying to work it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be helpful so it is about trying to fix it in there.”

“In my opinion the manager has been superb. I individually have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the run of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Every situation passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly talking as much about poor form as everything.