Xabi Alonso Navigating a Fine Line at Real Madrid Even With Dressing Room Support.

No forward in the club's record books had endured without a goal for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a declaration to broadcast, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth match this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and ran towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could prove an profound release.

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

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been surrendered, another loss following. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Verdict

“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was withheld, sentencing pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Type of Defeat

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this was a little different. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most damning charge not levelled at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, coming close to securing something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the head coach argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Bernabéu's Mixed Reaction

That was not completely the case. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a quiet stream to the exits. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Unity Remains Firm

“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they backed him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had embraced him, meeting a point not precisely in the compromise.

How lasting a fix that is is still an open question. One small moment in the after-game press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that idea to linger, answering: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”

A Starting Point of Resistance

Crucially though, he could be content that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was meaningful. The intensity with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a temptation of the most basic of expectations somehow being framed as a kind of achievement.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “In my view my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The sole solution is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have seen a difference.”

Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were supporting the coach, also responded with a figure: “100%.”

“We’re still trying to solve it in the changing room,” he continued. “We know that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the gaffer has been excellent. I personally have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe talking as much about adversity as his own predicament.