Xabi Alonso Navigating a Fine Tightrope at Real Madrid Despite Player Backing.

No offensive player in Real Madrid’s history had experienced failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a statement to deliver, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was commencing only his fifth appearance this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could represent an profound relief.

“It’s a tough time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things aren’t coming off and I wanted to demonstrate the public that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been taken from them, a defeat ensuing. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the bar in the dying moments.

A Delayed Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue 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 stated, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re with the coach: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was reserved, consequences pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Kind of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the most obvious and most critical criticism not directed at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, coming close to securing something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the manager stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Reception

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were periods in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a muted procession to the subway. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they applauded too.”

Squad Backing Is Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, finding somewhere not precisely in the middle.

How lasting a solution that is is still an unresolved issue. One small exchange in the after-game press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had let that notion to hang there, answering: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Basis of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be satisfied that there was a spirit, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of duty 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 expectations somehow being elevated as a form of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I think my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a change.”

Jude Bellingham, asked if they were with the coach, also replied quantitatively: “100%.”

“We’re still striving to figure it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] speculation will not be beneficial so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been great. I individually have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the run of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe referring as much about poor form as anything else.