Manager Alonso Walking a Fine Path at the Bernabéu Amidst Squad Endorsement.

No forward in the club's record books had gone scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a declaration to send, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was beginning only his fifth appearance this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and charged towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could prove an more significant release.

“This is a challenging time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate people that we are together with the coach.”

By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been taken from them, a defeat taking its place. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played 11 minutes all season, rattled the crossbar in the closing stages.

A Delayed Judgment

“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo conceded. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his job. “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 portrayed in the media, and how it was perceived internally. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the coach: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the axe was reserved, consequences suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.

A More Credible Type of Loss

Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, extending their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this felt a more respectable. This was Manchester City, rather than a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had shown fight, the simplest and most harsh accusation not directed at them on this night. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, coming close to earning something at the end. There were “a lot of very good things” about this display, the head coach stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.

The Fans' Mixed Reception

That was not always the full story. There were periods in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had repeated that, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a quiet flow to the exits. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “It’s nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they cheered too.”

Dressing Room Support Stands Strong

“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a unification, discussions: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had embraced him, finding somewhere not exactly in the middle.

The longevity of a solution that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One seemingly minor incident in the post-match press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, replying: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”

A Starting Point of Fight

Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this context, it was important. The effort with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most elementary of standards somehow being framed as a form of success.

Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “I believe my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the attitude. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a change.”

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

“We’re still trying to work it out in the locker room,” he continued. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be helpful so it is about trying to resolve it in there.”

“Personally, I feel the manager has been excellent. I myself have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”

“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, perhaps talking as much about adversity as anything else.