Manager Alonso Treading a Fine Path at Madrid Even With Player Support.

No attacker in the club's annals had experienced without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a statement to send, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was beginning only his fifth game this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the opening goal against the English champions. Then he turned and ran towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could represent an profound liberation.

“This is a tough time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things aren’t coming off and I aimed to prove people that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been lost, a setback taking its place. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. On this occasion, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, hit the bar in the final seconds.

A Delayed Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo admitted. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his role. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re supporting the coach: we have played well, given 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, consequences delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Distinct Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their poor form to two wins in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, rather than a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the easiest and most harsh accusation not levelled at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, coming close to salvaging something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the manager argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Response

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were moments in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued flow to the doors. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Player Backing Remains Firm

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least towards the public. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, meeting somewhere not precisely in the compromise.

Whether durable a remedy that is remains an unresolved issue. One little exchange in the post-match press conference appeared significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that implication to hang there, replying: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”

A Basis of Reaction

Above all though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a type of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “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 change the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a change.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were supporting the coach, also responded in numbers: “100%.”

“We’re still trying to solve it in the locker room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been excellent. I individually have a excellent relationship with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations among ourselves.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly referring as much about a difficult spell as his own predicament.