Xabi Alonso Walking a Precarious Path at the Bernabéu Despite Squad Support.

No offensive player in Los Blancos' history had endured failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a declaration to broadcast, acted out for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was commencing only his fifth appearance this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and ran towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could represent an profound release.

“It’s a challenging moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren’t coming off and I sought to demonstrate the public that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been taken from them, a defeat taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, brought on having played 11 minutes all season, struck the bar in the closing stages.

A Reserved Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his job. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re with the coach: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was postponed, any action delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Distinct Type of Setback

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, continuing their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this felt a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the simplest and most critical accusation not directed at them on this night. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, almost securing something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the head coach argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight.

The Stadium's Muted Reaction

That was not always the complete picture. There were periods in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At full time, a section of supporters had continued, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a subdued stream to the exits. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Player Backing Remains Firm

“I feel the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had considered them, arguably more than they had embraced him, meeting common ground not precisely in the center.

Whether durable a remedy that is continues to be an matter of debate. One small moment in the post-match press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had allowed that idea to linger, replying: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he understands what he is implying.”

A Basis of Fight

Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been for show, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being elevated as a kind of success.

The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “In my view my teammate Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to change the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a shift.”

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

“We are continuing trying to solve it in the changing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be helpful so it is about trying to fix it in there.”

“I think the coach has been superb. I myself have a excellent rapport with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe talking as much about adversity as everything.