🔗 Share this article Manager Alonso Walking a Fine Line at Madrid Amidst Squad Endorsement. No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had gone scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a message to send, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in almost a year and was starting only his fifth match this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against Manchester City. Then he spun and charged towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could represent an even greater liberation. “This is a tough period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things aren't working out and I wanted to show the public that we are as one with the coach.” By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, a setback ensuing. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played very little all season, struck the woodwork in the dying moments. A Suspended Judgment “It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn’t feel that [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 played well, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was reserved, consequences delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon. A More Credible Type of Loss Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the easiest and most critical accusation not aimed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, nearly earning something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the boss stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion. The Bernabéu's Mixed Reception That was not completely the full story. There were moments in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, some of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued procession to the exits. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they clapped too.” Player Backing Stands Strong “I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, reaching common ground not quite in the middle. Whether durable a fix that is is still an unresolved issue. One small moment in the after-game press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that idea to hang there, responding: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is saying.” A Foundation of Reaction Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a response. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been performative, done out of professionalism or mutual survival, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being elevated as a kind of success. In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his fault. “I believe my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a shift.” Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were supporting the coach, also replied in numbers: “100%.” “We persist in trying to solve it in the dressing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be helpful so it is about trying to sort it out in there.” “Personally, I feel the gaffer has been great. I myself have a excellent rapport with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations internally.” “Every situation passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe referring as much about a difficult spell as anything else.
No forward in Real Madrid’s record books had gone scoreless for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but at last he was unleashed and he had a message to send, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in almost a year and was starting only his fifth match this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against Manchester City. Then he spun and charged towards the sideline to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could represent an even greater liberation. “This is a tough period for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things aren't working out and I wanted to show the public that we are as one with the coach.” By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been lost, a setback ensuing. City had reversed the score, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso remarked. That can happen when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. This time, they could not engineer a comeback. Endrick, introduced off the bench having played very little all season, struck the woodwork in the dying moments. A Suspended Judgment “It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn’t feel that [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 played well, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so judgment was reserved, consequences delayed, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon. A More Credible Type of Loss Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their recent run to just two victories in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was a European powerhouse, rather than a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the easiest and most critical accusation not aimed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, nearly earning something at the end. There were “many of very good things” about this showing, the boss stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion. The Bernabéu's Mixed Reception That was not completely the full story. There were moments in the second half, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, some of supporters had continued, although there was likewise sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a subdued procession to the exits. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso remarked: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were moments when they clapped too.” Player Backing Stands Strong “I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, reaching common ground not quite in the middle. Whether durable a fix that is is still an unresolved issue. One small moment in the after-game press conference seemed significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to follow his own path, Alonso had allowed that idea to hang there, responding: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is saying.” A Foundation of Reaction Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a resistance, a response. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been performative, done out of professionalism or mutual survival, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being elevated as a kind of success. In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his fault. “I believe my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the attitude. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a shift.” Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were supporting the coach, also replied in numbers: “100%.” “We persist in trying to solve it in the dressing room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be helpful so it is about trying to sort it out in there.” “Personally, I feel the gaffer has been great. I myself have a excellent rapport with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the spell of games where we tied a few, we had some honest conversations internally.” “Every situation passes in the end,” Alonso concluded, maybe referring as much about a difficult spell as anything else.