Xabi Alonso Navigating a Thin Path at Real Madrid Even With Squad Backing.

No forward in Real Madrid’s history had experienced scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a statement to broadcast, performed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was starting only his fifth match this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against the English champions. Then he turned and sprinted towards the touchline to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could signal an profound release.

“It’s a challenging period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren't working out and I aimed to show everyone that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, another loss ensuing. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Sentence

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to hold onto his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was withheld, any action delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Form of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second occasion in four days, perpetuating their recent run to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this was a more respectable. This was a European powerhouse, not a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the simplest and most harsh criticism not levelled at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, coming close to salvaging something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the manager said, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Muted Response

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were periods in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, some of supporters had continued, although there was also sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a quiet procession to the doors. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Squad Unity Stands Strong

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, finding a point not quite in the compromise.

The longevity of a remedy that is continues to be an open question. One seemingly minor moment in the after-game press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that notion to hang there, replying: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Reaction

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a resistance, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this climate, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most basic of standards somehow being promoted as a form of achievement.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I think my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a change.”

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

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

“In my opinion the coach has been great. I individually have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations internally.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly talking as much about adversity as his own predicament.