Manager Alonso Walking a Thin Path at the Bernabéu Amidst Squad Support.

No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had endured scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a message to broadcast, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was commencing only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he spun and ran towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could represent an more significant release.

“This is a difficult time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Things aren't working out and I wanted to prove everyone that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, a setback taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “sensitive” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. On this occasion, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, rattled the woodwork in the dying moments.

A Suspended Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re with the coach: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was reserved, any action suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.

A Different Type of Setback

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this was a more respectable. This was Manchester City, not a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the easiest and most critical criticism not aimed at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, nearly earning something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Bernabéu's Muted Reaction

That was not entirely the case. There were moments in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, a portion of supporters had repeated that, although there was likewise some applause. But mostly, there was a subdued flow to the subway. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Player Unity Remains Evident

“I feel the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least towards the public. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had embraced him, meeting a point not quite in the middle.

How lasting a solution that is is still an open question. One small exchange in the after-game press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that idea to linger, replying: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”

A Basis of Fight

Above all though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a response. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was important. The effort with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a temptation of the most basic of requirements somehow being framed as a type of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his doing. “In my view my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to improve the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have observed a change.”

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

“We’re still striving to work it out in the changing room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about trying to fix it in there.”

“I think the coach has been excellent. I myself have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the sequence of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps referring as much about poor form as anything else.