Xabi Alonso Walking a Fine Tightrope at the Bernabéu Despite Player Endorsement.
No forward in Real Madrid’s history had endured without a goal for as long as Rodrygo, but finally he was freed and he had a statement to send, acted out for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was commencing only his fifth match this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Manchester City. Then he turned and charged towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could prove an profound liberation.
“It’s a tough period for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Results aren’t coming off and I aimed to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been lost, another loss ensuing. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” condition, he continued, but at least Madrid had reacted. This time, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, rattled the bar in the dying moments.
A Suspended Verdict
“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be enough for Alonso to retain 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 presented externally, and how it was perceived internally. “We have shown that we’re supporting the coach: we have given a good account, given 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so the final decision was reserved, consequences suspended, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.
A Different Kind of Defeat
Madrid had been overcome at home for the second match in four days, extending their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was a European powerhouse, as opposed to a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had actually run, the easiest and most damning criticism not directed at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, nearly earning something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the manager argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.
The Bernabéu's Muted Reaction
That was not entirely the full story. There were moments in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition some applause. But primarily, there was a quiet flow to the exits. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were moments when they clapped too.”
Dressing Room Support Stands Firm
“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the public. There has been a unification, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, reaching common ground not precisely in the middle.
How lasting a remedy that is remains an matter of debate. One little exchange in the after-game press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that notion to linger, answering: “I share a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is implying.”
A Starting Point of Fight
Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been performative, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this climate, it was significant. The effort with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a kind of success.
The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his doing. “I believe my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The key is [for] the players to change the mindset. The attitude is the key thing and today we have witnessed a difference.”
Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were supporting the coach, also responded with a figure: “100%.”
“We’re still attempting to work it out in the changing room,” he elaborated. “We know that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about striving to fix it in there.”
“In my opinion the coach has been excellent. I individually have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “After the run of games where we tied a few, we had some very productive conversations behind the scenes.”
“Every situation concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, perhaps referring as much about a difficult spell as everything.
