Xabi Alonso Treading a Precarious Tightrope at the Bernabéu Even With Dressing Room Support.

No offensive player in Los Blancos' annals had gone failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a declaration to broadcast, acted out for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was starting only his fifth appearance this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the advantage against the English champions. Then he spun and ran towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss under pressure for whom this could represent an even greater relief.

“It’s a difficult time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things aren’t coming off and I sought to prove the public that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been surrendered, a defeat following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. This time, they could not pull off a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the crossbar in the dying moments.

A Suspended Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re with the coach: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was reserved, any action pending, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A More Credible Kind of Defeat

Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their recent run to two wins in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had actually run, the most obvious and most critical charge not directed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, almost securing something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the boss stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Mixed Reception

That was not entirely the complete picture. There were moments in the latter period, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a subdued procession to the subway. “It's to be expected, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso remarked: “It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Unity Remains Strong

“I feel the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they backed him too, at least towards the media. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had embraced him, finding somewhere not quite in the center.

The longevity of a solution that is is still an matter of debate. One little moment in the after-game press conference appeared significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, answering: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Foundation of Fight

Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been performative, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this context, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of standards somehow being framed as a form of achievement.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I think my colleague Aurélien said it 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 observed a difference.”

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

“We’re still trying to work it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation will not be helpful so it is about striving to resolve it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the manager has been superb. I individually have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the run of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”

“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly referring as much about a difficult spell as everything.