Manager Alonso Treading a Fine Path at the Bernabéu Amidst Squad Backing.

No forward in the club's annals had endured scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a statement to deliver, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in almost a year and was beginning only his fifth game this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the advantage against the English champions. Then he spun and charged towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could signal an profound liberation.

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

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been lost, a setback ensuing. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not pull off a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Verdict

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo admitted. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his role. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the coach: we have given a good account, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was reserved, any action suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A More Credible Type of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second match in four days, continuing their recent run to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most harsh charge not levelled at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, almost earning something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this performance, the head coach stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, on this occasion.

The Stadium's Muted Reception

That was not entirely the case. There were moments in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a muted procession to the exits. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Player Support Remains Evident

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, meeting somewhere not quite in the compromise.

Whether durable a solution that is remains an matter of debate. One seemingly minor incident in the after-game press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that idea to hang there, replying: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Resistance

Above all though, he could be content 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. This support may have been for show, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of requirements somehow being framed as a form of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a plan, that their shortcomings were not his doing. “I think my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a shift.”

Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were with the coach, also answered with a figure: “100%.”

“We are continuing trying to solve it in the locker room,” he continued. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about striving to fix it in there.”

“In my opinion the manager has been excellent. I personally have a strong relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

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