Xabi Alonso Navigating a Precarious Path at Madrid Amidst Squad Support.

No attacker in Los Blancos' history had endured without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a message to send, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against the English champions. Then he turned and sprinted towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could prove an even greater release.

“It’s a tough time for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances are not going our way and I wanted to show everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been taken from them, a defeat taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not pull off a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, hit the bar in the dying moments.

A Reserved Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re with the coach: we have given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was withheld, sentencing pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Kind of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second match in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, not a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most critical accusation not directed at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, almost earning something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the head coach stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Mixed Reception

That was not always the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a subdued flow to the subway. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Squad Unity Remains Firm

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a unification, conversations: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, reaching somewhere not precisely in the center.

The longevity of a fix that is remains an matter of debate. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference felt notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had let that notion to hang there, responding: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being promoted as a kind of positive.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I believe my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to change the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a shift.”

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

“We persist in striving to figure it out in the changing room,” he said. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about striving to sort it out in there.”

“In my opinion the gaffer has been great. I personally have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham added. “After the run of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe speaking as much about adversity as everything.