No attacker in the club's annals had gone failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was unleashed and he had a statement to deliver, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth appearance this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the lead against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and sprinted towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could prove an profound release.
“This is a challenging period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Performances aren’t coming off and I wanted to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been lost, a setback following. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso observed. That can transpire when you’re in a “fragile” state, he elaborated, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not engineer a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, rattled the crossbar in the final seconds.
“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “We have shown that we’re supporting the manager: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so judgment was reserved, any action delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.
Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was Manchester City, rather than a domestic opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most harsh criticism not levelled at them this time. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, almost earning something at the death. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the boss stated, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.
That was not entirely the case. There were moments in the closing 45 minutes, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, some of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition sporadic clapping. But primarily, there was a subdued procession to the exits. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they clapped too.”
“I have the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least in front of the media. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, meeting a point not precisely in the center.
The longevity of a fix that is is still an unresolved issue. One small incident in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had let that notion to linger, answering: “I have a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he understands what he is talking about.”
Above all 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 defended him. Part of it may have been theatrical, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most basic of expectations somehow being framed as a kind of achievement.
In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his responsibility. “I believe my teammate Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the approach. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a difference.”
Jude Bellingham, asked if they were behind the coach, also answered quantitatively: “100%.”
“We are continuing trying to work it out in the changing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be productive so it is about striving to fix it in there.”
“Personally, I feel the manager has been great. I individually have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations internally.”
“Every situation concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, maybe referring as much about a difficult spell as anything else.
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
