Manager Alonso Treading a Precarious Tightrope at the Bernabéu Despite Player Backing.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s annals had gone without a goal for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was released and he had a message to send, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was starting only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could prove an even greater release.

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

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, another loss following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, struck the bar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Verdict

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his role. “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 framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re supporting the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was postponed, sentencing pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Distinct Kind of Loss

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, extending their recent run to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this felt a little different. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the simplest and most harsh accusation not directed at them in this instance. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, coming close to earning something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the head coach argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Muted Reaction

That was not completely the case. There were periods in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had continued, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a subdued procession to the subway. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Unity Remains Evident

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least for the media. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, meeting a point not quite in the middle.

The longevity of a fix that is continues to be an open question. One small moment in the post-match press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that implication to remain unanswered, replying: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Fight

Above all though, he could be content that there was a resistance, a response. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been for show, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this tense environment, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of standards somehow being promoted as a type of achievement.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their shortcomings were not his doing. “I think my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to improve the mindset. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a shift.”

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

“We are continuing trying to figure it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about trying to sort it out in there.”

“In my opinion the gaffer has been great. I myself have a excellent rapport with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the run of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Every situation passes in the end,” Alonso mused, maybe speaking as much about adversity as his own predicament.