No offensive player in the club's record books had endured failing to find the net for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but at last he was released and he had a declaration to broadcast, performed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had not scored in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth game this term, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against Manchester City. Then he wheeled and ran towards the touchline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the coach on the edge for whom this could represent an more significant release.
“It’s a difficult period for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances aren’t coming off and I sought to show everyone that we are together with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been surrendered, a setback ensuing. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” 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, struck the woodwork in the dying moments.
A Reserved Verdict
“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his job. “We didn’t feel that [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 understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re supporting the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so the axe was withheld, sentencing delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.
A Different Kind of Setback
Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, perpetuating their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a more respectable. This was a European powerhouse, not a La Liga opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the easiest and most damning criticism not directed at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, almost earning something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this showing, the head coach said, and there could be “no blame” of his players, not this time.
The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Response
That was not completely the complete picture. There were spells in the second half, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At full time, some of supporters had continued, although there was in addition sporadic clapping. But mostly, there was a quiet stream to the subway. “That’s normal, we accept it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “It’s nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”
Dressing Room Unity Is Firm
“I sense the support of the players,” Alonso said. And if he backed them, they stood by him too, at least towards the cameras. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had accommodated him, meeting common ground not quite in the center.
Whether durable a remedy that is continues to be an matter of debate. One small exchange in the post-match press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that implication to remain unanswered, replying: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”
A Foundation of Reaction
Most importantly though, he could be content that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they defended him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The effort with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most basic of standards somehow being framed as a kind of achievement.
In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had insisted the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his fault. “I think my colleague 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 linchpin and today we have observed a change.”
Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were supporting the coach, also replied quantitatively: “100%.”
“We persist in attempting to figure it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about trying to sort it out in there.”
“I think the coach has been excellent. I individually have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham concluded. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some very productive conversations among ourselves.”
“Every situation ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly talking as much about poor form as his own predicament.
