Xabi Alonso Walking a Thin Path at Real Madrid Despite Player Backing.
No attacker in Real Madrid’s history had experienced failing to find the net for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a statement to broadcast, acted out for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in almost a year and was starting only his fifth match this season, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the advantage against the English champions. Then he spun and ran towards the sideline to greet Xabi Alonso, the coach in the spotlight for whom this could represent an even greater release.
“It’s a tough moment for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Things aren't working out and I wanted to demonstrate people that we are together with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been taken from them, a setback ensuing. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “sensitive” situation, he continued, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, on as a substitute having played very little all season, struck the crossbar in the closing stages.
A Delayed Verdict
“The effort fell short,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be adequate for Alonso to retain 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 portrayed in the media, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “We have shown that we’re with the coach: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois added. And so the axe was reserved, any action pending, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.
A Distinct Type of Setback
Madrid had been overcome at home for the second time in four days, extending their uninspiring streak to just two victories in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most harsh criticism not directed 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 end. There were “numerous of very good things” about this showing, the boss argued, and there could be “no blame” of his players, tonight.
The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reaction
That was not always the complete picture. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had whistled. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had continued, although there was also some applause. But primarily, there was a subdued flow to the exits. “It's to be expected, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso added: “There's nothing that is unprecedented before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”
Squad Backing Stands Firm
“I feel the backing of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they supported him too, at least towards the public. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, perhaps more than they had accommodated him, finding somewhere not quite in the middle.
The longevity of a solution that is continues to be an open question. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had let that notion to hang there, replying: “I have a good relationship with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is saying.”
A Basis of Reaction
Most importantly though, he could be pleased that there was a fight, a pushback. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been performative, done out of obligation or mutual survival, but in this climate, it was important. The intensity with which they played had been too – even if there is a risk of the most basic of requirements somehow being promoted as a form of positive.
Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their mistakes were not his fault. “In my view my colleague Aurélien put it perfectly in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to improve the mindset. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have observed a difference.”
Jude Bellingham, questioned if they were with the coach, also responded quantitatively: “100%.”
“We are continuing striving to solve it in the locker room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”
“In my opinion the gaffer has been excellent. I personally have a great connection with him,” Bellingham stated. “After the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some very productive conversations among ourselves.”
“All things concludes in the end,” Alonso philosophized, possibly talking as much about adversity as his own predicament.
