Manager Alonso Navigating a Fine Tightrope at Real Madrid Amidst Player Support.
No offensive player in Real Madrid’s history had endured without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a declaration to send, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in almost a year and was starting only his fifth match this term, beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against the English champions. Then he spun and charged towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss in the spotlight for whom this could signal an more significant release.
“This is a difficult period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances aren't working out and I sought to demonstrate everyone that we are as one with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been lost, another loss following. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” state, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. On this occasion, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, struck the woodwork in the final seconds.
A Reserved Verdict
“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to keep his role. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was postponed, any action pending, with fixtures 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 uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the simplest and most harsh accusation not aimed at them on this night. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a converted penalty, almost salvaging something at the end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the head coach stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.
The Fans' Ambivalent Reaction
That was not entirely the full story. There were moments in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was also some applause. But for the most part, there was a subdued flow to the doors. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”
Squad Support Stands Firm
“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had listened to them, perhaps more than they had embraced him, reaching common ground not quite in the middle.
The longevity of a fix that is is still an open question. One small moment in the after-game press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had let that implication to linger, replying: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”
A Starting Point of Reaction
Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a spirit, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been for show, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a danger of the most fundamental of standards somehow being framed as a form of achievement.
The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his fault. “In my view 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 mindset. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have seen a shift.”
Jude Bellingham, asked if they were behind the coach, also responded in numbers: “100%.”
“We are continuing trying to figure it out in the changing room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be productive so it is about trying to fix it in there.”
“In my opinion the coach has been great. I individually have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations among ourselves.”
“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly talking as much about adversity as everything.
