Manager Alonso Walking a Fine Tightrope at the Bernabéu Amidst Dressing Room Backing.

No offensive player in Real Madrid’s annals had endured scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a declaration to broadcast, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was starting only his fifth appearance this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against the English champions. Then he spun and sprinted towards the touchline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could represent an even greater release.

“It’s a tough moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Results aren't working out and I wanted to prove people that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been lost, another loss ensuing. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the bar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Verdict

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to keep his position. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was withheld, consequences pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Distinct Form of Setback

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, continuing their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this was a little different. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the simplest and most harsh accusation not directed at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, nearly salvaging something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the manager stated, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, not this time.

The Fans' Muted Reception

That was not always the case. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At full time, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But primarily, there was a quiet flow to the exits. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were instances when they applauded too.”

Squad Backing Is Strong

“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least towards the media. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, reaching somewhere not quite in the center.

Whether durable a fix that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One little incident in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that idea to remain unanswered, responding: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Reaction

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been for show, done out of obligation or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was important. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being elevated as a type of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “I think my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The sole solution is [for] the players to alter the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have observed a shift.”

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

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

“In my opinion the gaffer has been great. I individually have a excellent relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the run of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations internally.”

“Every situation passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, possibly talking as much about adversity as anything else.