Xabi Alonso Treading a Precarious Tightrope at the Bernabéu Amidst Player Support.

No offensive player in the club's history had gone failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a declaration to deliver, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth game this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could signal an more significant relief.

“It’s a difficult moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances aren't working out and I aimed to demonstrate people that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, another loss 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 “sensitive” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, struck the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Reserved Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “We demonstrated that we’re supporting the coach: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was reserved, sentencing suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Type of Setback

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, perpetuating their recent run to two wins in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, not a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the simplest and most critical criticism not aimed at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, almost salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the head coach argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reception

That was not entirely the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a quiet flow to the exits. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Squad Support Remains Evident

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least for the media. There has been a rapprochement, talks: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, reaching somewhere not precisely in the compromise.

The longevity of a solution that is continues to be an open question. One seemingly minor exchange in the post-match press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that idea to remain unanswered, answering: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is saying.”

A Basis of Fight

Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of duty or mutual survival, but in this context, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being promoted as a form of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their shortcomings were not his fault. “I think my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to change the mindset. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a difference.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were supporting the coach, also answered in numbers: “100%.”

“We’re still trying to solve it in the locker room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] noise will not be helpful so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the coach has been excellent. I personally have a excellent rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the run of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps talking as much about adversity as everything.