Alonso Walking a Precarious Tightrope at the Bernabéu Despite Dressing Room Support.

No offensive player in Real Madrid’s record books had gone failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a message to send, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth appearance this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and ran towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager on the edge for whom this could represent an even greater release.

“It’s a difficult moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances are not going our way and I sought to prove people that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been lost, a setback taking its place. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the bar in the dying moments.

A Suspended Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo conceded. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to hold onto his job. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the manager: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was postponed, any action pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Type of Defeat

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, perpetuating their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most critical charge not directed at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, almost securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the head coach stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Ambivalent Reaction

That was not completely the complete picture. There were spells in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, a section of supporters had continued, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But primarily, there was a subdued flow to the subway. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Player Support Is Evident

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he backed them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, meeting somewhere not quite in the compromise.

The longevity of a remedy that is is still an open question. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, responding: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been performative, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was meaningful. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of standards somehow being promoted as a type of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his fault. “I think my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have observed a difference.”

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

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

“Personally, I feel the coach has been great. I individually have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “After the spell of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about poor form as his own predicament.