Alonso Treading a Thin Tightrope at the Bernabéu Amidst Squad Backing.
No forward in the club's history had experienced failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a statement to broadcast, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in nine months and was beginning only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the manager on the edge for whom this could signal an profound liberation.
“It’s a challenging time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances aren’t coming off and I aimed to show everyone that we are together with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been surrendered, another loss taking its place. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” state, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not engineer a turnaround. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played very little all season, struck the crossbar in the dying moments.
A Reserved Sentence
“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo conceded. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his position. “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 perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re supporting the coach: we have played well, given 100%,” Courtois added. And so the axe was withheld, any action delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla looming.
A Different Type of Setback
Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their poor form to two wins in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the easiest and most critical accusation not directed at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a converted penalty, nearly salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the manager said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.
The Stadium's Muted Reaction
That was not completely the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At full time, some of supporters had done so again, although there was also pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a muted procession to the doors. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they clapped too.”
Squad Support Is Evident
“I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a rapprochement, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, finding somewhere not exactly in the middle.
How lasting a remedy that is remains an unresolved issue. One little moment in the after-game press conference appeared significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that idea to remain unanswered, responding: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”
A Starting Point of Resistance
Above all though, he could be satisfied 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. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of obligation 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 danger of the most elementary of standards somehow being promoted as a form of success.
The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “In my view my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The sole solution is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have seen a difference.”
Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were with the coach, also responded in numbers: “100%.”
“We are continuing attempting to work it out in the changing room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] noise will not be helpful so it is about attempting to fix it in there.”
“Personally, I feel the manager has been great. I personally have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham concluded. “After the run of games where we were held a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.”
“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about adversity as his own predicament.
