Manager Alonso Walking a Thin Path at the Bernabéu Even With Player Endorsement.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s history had experienced failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a message to send, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was starting only his fifth game this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Manchester City. Then he spun and ran towards the bench to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could represent an profound liberation.

“This is a challenging moment for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances aren't working out and I wanted to prove people that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been lost, a setback taking its place. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, rattled the bar in the closing stages.

A Reserved Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, given 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was reserved, sentencing delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this was a little different. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most damning criticism not levelled at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a converted penalty, nearly salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the head coach argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.

The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reception

That was not entirely the case. There were moments in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had continued, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a quiet procession to the exits. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they applauded too.”

Player Backing Remains Strong

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, reaching a point not exactly in the center.

The longevity of a fix that is remains an matter of debate. One little moment in the post-match press conference appeared significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, responding: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Fight

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a spirit, a response. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most basic of requirements somehow being promoted as a kind of achievement.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I believe my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to change the attitude. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a change.”

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

“We’re still attempting to work it out in the locker room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“I think the manager has been superb. I myself have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”

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