Manager Alonso Navigating a Thin Line at Real Madrid Even With Dressing Room Backing.

No forward in Los Blancos' record books had gone failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a declaration to deliver, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was beginning only his fifth game this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the advantage against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and charged towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could prove an more significant relief.

“It’s a tough time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate people that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, a defeat taking its place. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not engineer a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, hit the bar in the dying moments.

A Reserved Judgment

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. 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],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the coach: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so judgment was withheld, any action delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A More Credible Form of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second time in four days, continuing their poor form to two wins in eight, but this felt a little different. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a domestic opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the most obvious and most harsh criticism not levelled at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, almost securing something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the manager argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Muted Reaction

That was not entirely the case. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But primarily, there was a muted procession to the doors. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Squad Support Is Strong

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, finding somewhere not precisely in the middle.

The longevity of a fix that is is still an matter of debate. One small moment in the after-game press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to follow his own path, Alonso had let that implication to remain unanswered, responding: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Basis of Fight

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been for show, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was important. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a danger of the most basic of requirements somehow being elevated as a kind of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “In my view my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a change.”

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

“We’re still striving to figure it out in the changing room,” he continued. “We know that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to fix it in there.”

“I think the manager has been superb. I individually have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations internally.”

“All things ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe talking as much about adversity as everything.