No attacker in the club's annals had gone failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was freed and he had a message to broadcast, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth game this term, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against the English champions. Then he wheeled and charged towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could represent an even greater relief.
“It’s a challenging time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results aren’t coming off and I sought to prove everyone that we are united with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been surrendered, a setback following. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “fragile” situation, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, struck the woodwork in the dying moments.
A Suspended Sentence
“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo conceded. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to keep his role. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re supporting the manager: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was withheld, sentencing delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.
A Distinct Kind of Defeat
Madrid had been overcome at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this was a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most harsh criticism not aimed at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, almost salvaging something at the death. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the head coach argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, not this time.
The Stadium's Mixed Reception
That was not always the case. There were periods in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, some of supporters had continued, although there was in addition some applause. But primarily, there was a subdued procession to the subway. “We understand that, we accept it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”
Player Backing Remains Evident
“I have the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the public. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, finding common ground not precisely in the center.
How lasting a solution that is is still an open question. One small moment in the after-game press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that implication to remain unanswered, answering: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is implying.”
A Foundation of Resistance
Crucially though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they stood up for him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this climate, it was important. The commitment with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of expectations somehow being promoted as a type of positive.
In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their shortcomings were not his responsibility. “I think my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key 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 with the coach, also replied quantitatively: “100%.”
“We’re still trying to work it out in the locker room,” he said. “We know that the [outside] chatter will not be productive so it is about trying to fix it in there.”
“I think the manager has been great. I individually have a excellent relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “After the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations among ourselves.”
“Everything concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps referring as much about a difficult spell as anything else.
