Manager Alonso Walking a Fine Line at the Bernabéu Despite Player Support.

No attacker in Real Madrid’s record books had experienced without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a message to broadcast, performed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth game this season, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and charged towards the bench to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could signal an profound liberation.

“It’s a difficult period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results aren't working out and I aimed to demonstrate everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been lost, a setback following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. Ultimately, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, hit the bar in the final seconds.

A Reserved Judgment

“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The dilemma was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the manager: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was postponed, sentencing suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A Different Kind of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this was a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, as opposed to a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had competed with intensity, the simplest and most harsh charge not levelled at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, coming close to earning something at the death. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the head coach said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Muted Reception

That was not always 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, a section of supporters had continued, although there was in addition sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a muted stream to the exits. “It's to be expected, we accept it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were times when they clapped too.”

Dressing Room Backing Remains Strong

“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, finding a point not exactly in the compromise.

How lasting a fix that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One little incident in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that idea to hang there, responding: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is talking about.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Above all though, he could be content that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of requirements somehow being framed as a form of achievement.

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

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

“We persist in attempting to work it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about trying to sort it out in there.”

“I think the gaffer has been excellent. I individually have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations among ourselves.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe referring as much about adversity as everything.