Xabi Alonso Treading a Precarious Path at Madrid Even With Dressing Room Backing.

No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had endured scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a message to broadcast, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was commencing only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he spun and sprinted towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager on the edge for whom this could represent an profound relief.

“This is a tough moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate everyone that we are united with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the advantage had been taken from them, a defeat following. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not pull off a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds.

A Suspended Sentence

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be enough 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 framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re behind the manager: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, any action suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Type of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, not a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the simplest and most critical criticism not directed at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a spot-kick, almost securing something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the boss stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Muted Reception

That was not completely the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, some of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a muted procession to the subway. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Player Unity Remains Firm

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the media. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, reaching common ground not quite in the compromise.

How lasting a solution that is continues to be an matter of debate. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference seemed telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that notion to linger, responding: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. This support may have been performative, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this context, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a danger of the most fundamental of standards somehow being elevated as a kind of positive.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “I believe 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 witnessed a change.”

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

“We are continuing striving to figure it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“In my opinion the manager has been great. I individually have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations among ourselves.”

“Every situation passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly speaking as much about poor form as his own predicament.