No offensive player in Los Blancos' annals had experienced failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a declaration to broadcast, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth game this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against the English champions. Then he spun and charged towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could prove an even greater relief.
“It’s a difficult moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Things aren't working out and I wanted to show the public that we are together with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo spoke, the advantage had been surrendered, a defeat taking its place. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can happen when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a recovery. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, hit the bar in the final seconds.
A Delayed Sentence
“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo admitted. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been portrayed in the media, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so the final decision was withheld, any action delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla looming.
A Different Kind of Loss
Madrid had been beaten at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their recent run to two wins in eight, but this felt a more respectable. This was Manchester City, rather than a La Liga opponent. Stripped down, they had shown fight, the easiest and most damning criticism not levelled 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 showing, the head coach argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.
The Bernabéu's Muted Response
That was not entirely the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, a section of supporters had repeated that, although there was also some applause. But primarily, there was a subdued procession to the doors. “That’s normal, we understand it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they clapped too.”
Squad Support Is Strong
“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he backed them, they supported him too, at least for the public. There has been a coming together, discussions: the coach had considered them, maybe more than they had accommodated him, reaching common ground not quite in the middle.
How lasting a remedy that is remains an matter of debate. One small exchange in the post-match press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to follow his own path, Alonso had let that idea to linger, replying: “I have a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”
A Basis of Reaction
Most importantly though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of professionalism or self-preservation, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being elevated as a type of achievement.
The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his fault. “I believe my teammate Aurélien said 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 crucial element and today we have witnessed a difference.”
Jude Bellingham, asked if they were behind the coach, also replied with a figure: “100%.”
“We’re still attempting to work it out in the changing room,” he continued. “It's clear that the [outside] speculation will not be beneficial so it is about trying to sort it out in there.”
“I think the coach has been superb. I myself have a strong rapport with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the run of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.”
“Everything passes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly speaking as much about a difficult spell as his own predicament.
