Alonso Walking a Fine Path at Madrid Amidst Squad Endorsement.

No forward in Los Blancos' record books had gone scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was released and he had a declaration to broadcast, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth match this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and charged towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could represent an more significant liberation.

“This is a tough time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results are not going our way and I wanted to prove everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been taken from them, a setback following. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “sensitive” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the woodwork in the closing stages.

A Delayed Sentence

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo admitted. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was reserved, consequences delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Type of Defeat

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their poor form to two wins in eight, but this felt a little different. This was Manchester City, not a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the simplest and most critical charge not aimed at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, nearly salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this performance, the boss argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Bernabéu's Muted Reception

That was not always the full story. There were periods in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise some applause. But for the most part, there was a muted flow to the doors. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Player Unity Stands Evident

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least towards the public. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, reaching common ground not precisely in the middle.

How lasting a remedy that is is still an open question. One seemingly minor incident in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that notion to hang there, answering: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Resistance

Above all though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been performative, done out of professionalism or mutual survival, but in this tense environment, 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 framed as a type of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his fault. “I believe my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have observed a change.”

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

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

“In my opinion the gaffer has been excellent. I personally have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “After the run of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations among ourselves.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly referring as much about adversity as anything else.