Manager Alonso Walking a Fine Line at the Bernabéu Amidst Dressing Room Support.

No attacker in Los Blancos' annals had experienced failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a message to broadcast, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth game this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he spun and charged towards the bench to hug Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could prove an more significant liberation.

“It’s a difficult time for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Things aren't working out and I aimed to demonstrate everyone that we are as one with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been surrendered, a setback ensuing. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, rattled the bar in the closing stages.

A Suspended Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The question was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re with the coach: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was withheld, consequences delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla looming.

A Different Form of Loss

Madrid had been beaten at home for the second time in four days, extending their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Stripped down, they had actually run, the simplest and most damning accusation not aimed at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a spot-kick, coming close to salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the manager argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, on this occasion.

The Fans' Ambivalent Reception

That was not completely the complete picture. There were periods in the second half, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a muted procession to the subway. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso added: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were times when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Backing Is Strong

“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least towards the media. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, finding common ground not exactly in the center.

How lasting a solution that is remains an unresolved issue. One small moment in the post-match press conference appeared telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that notion to remain unanswered, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is saying.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Most importantly though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of professionalism or mutual survival, but in this context, it was meaningful. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of expectations somehow being framed as a kind of success.

In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his fault. “In my view my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a change.”

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

“We’re still striving to solve it in the changing room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] noise will not be helpful so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the coach has been superb. I personally have a great rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”

“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps talking as much about adversity as everything.