No attacker in Real Madrid’s record books had gone without a goal for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a declaration to deliver, executed for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had not scored in an extended drought and was beginning only his fifth game this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the lead against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he wheeled and ran towards the sideline to embrace Xabi Alonso, the manager under pressure for whom this could represent an more significant release.
“This is a difficult moment for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo stated. “Performances aren’t coming off and I sought to demonstrate everyone that we are as one with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo spoke, the lead had been lost, another loss following. City had reversed the score, going 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso observed. That can occur when you’re in a “delicate” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not pull off a turnaround. Endrick, on as a substitute having played a handful of minutes all season, struck the woodwork in the closing stages.
A Suspended Verdict
“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The dilemma was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to hold onto his role. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remarked, but that was how it had been presented externally, and how it was felt privately. “Our performance proved that we’re with the coach: we have played well, offered 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was postponed, consequences delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla imminent.
A More Credible Type of Setback
Madrid had been defeated at home for the second time in four days, continuing their poor form to just two victories in eight, but this was a more respectable. This was the Premier League champions, as opposed to a domestic opponent. Simplified, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most harsh criticism not aimed at them this time. With multiple players out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a spot-kick, almost salvaging something at the final whistle. There were “numerous of very good things” about this display, the head coach said, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, not this time.
The Stadium's Mixed Reception
That was not always the full story. There were spells in the latter period, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was likewise some applause. But mostly, there was a quiet flow to the subway. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo said. Alonso stated: “There's nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they applauded too.”
Player Support Is Evident
“I sense the confidence of the players,” Alonso said. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least in front of the public. There has been a unification, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, meeting a point not precisely in the center.
How lasting a remedy that is remains an open question. One seemingly minor exchange in the after-game press conference seemed notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to do things his way, Alonso had let that idea to linger, responding: “I share a good connection with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”
A Foundation of Fight
Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a spirit, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. Part of it may have been performative, done out of obligation or self-interest, but in this tense environment, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a danger of the most fundamental of requirements somehow being framed as a form of achievement.
In the build-up, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a plan, that their failings were not his responsibility. “I think my colleague Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said after full-time. “The only way is [for] the players to improve the mindset. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have seen a shift.”
Jude Bellingham, asked if they were behind the coach, also answered in numbers: “100%.”
“We’re still attempting to work it out in the dressing room,” he continued. “We know that the [outside] speculation will not be beneficial so it is about striving to fix it in there.”
“In my opinion the gaffer has been superb. I myself have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the run of games where we were held a few, we had some really great conversations internally.”
“All things ends in the end,” Alonso concluded, perhaps referring as much about a difficult spell as everything.
