No offensive player in Los Blancos' record books had experienced without a goal for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a declaration to deliver, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had not scored in nine months and was starting only his fifth match this season, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the lead against Manchester City. Then he spun and sprinted towards the bench to hug Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could represent an profound release.
“It’s a challenging moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Things aren't working out and I aimed to show the public that we are as one with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been surrendered, another loss ensuing. City had turned it around, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can transpire when you’re in a “delicate” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had fought back. Ultimately, they could not complete a comeback. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, rattled the woodwork in the closing stages.
A Suspended Sentence
“It proved insufficient,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be enough for Alonso to hold onto his position. “We didn’t feel that [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois insisted, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the manager: we have given a good account, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was postponed, any action suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.
A More Credible Form of Setback
Madrid had been beaten at home for the second occasion in four days, perpetuating their uninspiring streak to two wins in eight, but this felt a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had actually run, the most obvious and most critical accusation not directed at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, almost securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this display, the head coach argued, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, on this occasion.
The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reaction
That was not completely the full story. There were periods in the latter period, as irritation grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, some of supporters had done so again, although there was also sporadic clapping. But for the most part, there was a quiet procession to the exits. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”
Dressing Room Unity Is Evident
“I feel the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least towards the media. There has been a unification, conversations: the coach had listened to them, arguably more than they had embraced him, reaching a point not exactly in the center.
Whether durable a fix that is is still an matter of debate. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference felt telling. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, responding: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he knows what he is saying.”
A Starting Point of Fight
Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. Some of this may have been theatrical, done out of duty or mutual survival, but in this climate, it was meaningful. The intensity with which they played had been as well – even if there is a temptation of the most elementary of requirements somehow being elevated as a form of positive.
In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his doing. “I believe my colleague Aurélien said it 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 seen a change.”
Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were supporting the coach, also answered with a figure: “100%.”
“We are continuing striving to figure it out in the changing room,” he elaborated. “It's clear that the [outside] chatter will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to resolve it in there.”
“I think the gaffer has been great. I individually have a strong connection with him,” Bellingham added. “After the run of games where we drew a few, we had some really great conversations behind the scenes.”
“Everything ends in the end,” Alonso philosophized, maybe talking as much about a difficult spell as everything.
