🔗 Share this article Alonso Navigating a Fine Line at Real Madrid Despite Dressing Room Support. No forward in the club's annals had endured scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a declaration to deliver, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was starting only his fifth match this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against the English champions. Then he wheeled and charged towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could represent an even greater liberation. “It’s a tough time for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results aren’t coming off and I aimed to prove the public that we are as one with the coach.” By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, a setback taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds. A Suspended Sentence “It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re behind the coach: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was postponed, any action delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon. A Distinct Kind of Setback Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their recent run to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most harsh charge not levelled at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, nearly securing something at the death. There were “many of very good things” about this performance, the head coach argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight. The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reaction That was not entirely the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, some of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a subdued procession to the doors. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they applauded too.” Player Unity Stands Evident “I sense the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, finding somewhere not quite in the middle. Whether durable a remedy that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One little exchange in the after-game press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that implication to remain unanswered, answering: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is implying.” A Foundation of Fight Crucially though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been for show, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this context, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a kind of positive. The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his doing. “I think my teammate Aurélien said 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 key thing and today we have seen a difference.” Jude Bellingham, asked if they were supporting the coach, also responded with a figure: “100%.” “We’re still trying to figure it out in the locker room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about attempting to fix it in there.” “I think the coach has been excellent. I myself have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.” “All things passes in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly speaking as much about poor form as anything else.
No forward in the club's annals had endured scoreless for as long as Rodrygo, but eventually he was released and he had a declaration to deliver, executed for the cameras. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in nine months and was starting only his fifth match this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure the opening goal against the English champions. Then he wheeled and charged towards the touchline to greet Xabi Alonso, the manager in the spotlight for whom this could represent an even greater liberation. “It’s a tough time for him, just as it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results aren’t coming off and I aimed to prove the public that we are as one with the coach.” By the time Rodrygo addressed the media, the lead had been surrendered, a setback taking its place. City had turned it around, going 2-1 ahead with “not much”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” state, he continued, but at least Madrid had fought back. On this occasion, they could not pull off a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds. A Suspended Sentence “It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his position. “That wasn't our perception [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, but that was how it had been framed publicly, and how it was understood behind closed doors. “Our performance proved that we’re behind the coach: we have played well, provided 100%,” Courtois affirmed. And so judgment was postponed, any action delayed, with games against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon. A Distinct Kind of Setback Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, continuing their recent run to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a little different. This was the Premier League champions, rather than a lesser opponent. Streamlined, they had shown fight, the most obvious and most harsh charge not levelled at them in this instance. With a host of first-teamers out injured, they had lost only to a scrambled finish and a penalty, nearly securing something at the death. There were “many of very good things” about this performance, the head coach argued, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, tonight. The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reaction That was not entirely the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At full time, some of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a subdued procession to the doors. “That’s normal, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso remarked: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were times when they applauded too.” Player Unity Stands Evident “I sense the support of the players,” Alonso affirmed. And if he stood by them, they stood by him too, at least for the cameras. There has been a coming together, talks: the coach had considered them, perhaps more than they had adapted to him, finding somewhere not quite in the middle. Whether durable a remedy that is continues to be an unresolved issue. One little exchange in the after-game press conference appeared notable. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s counsel to stick to his principles, Alonso had allowed that implication to remain unanswered, answering: “I have a good rapport with Pep, we know each other well and he knows what he is implying.” A Foundation of Fight Crucially though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not abandoned their coach during the game and after it they stood up for him. This support may have been for show, done out of professionalism or self-interest, but in this context, it was meaningful. The commitment with which they played had been equally so – even if there is a risk of the most elementary of requirements somehow being promoted as a kind of positive. The previous day, Aurélien Tchouaméni had argued the coach had a vision, that their failings were not his doing. “I think my teammate Aurélien said 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 key thing and today we have seen a difference.” Jude Bellingham, asked if they were supporting the coach, also responded with a figure: “100%.” “We’re still trying to figure it out in the locker room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] speculation will not be productive so it is about attempting to fix it in there.” “I think the coach has been excellent. I myself have a great relationship with him,” Bellingham stated. “Following the sequence of games where we drew a few, we had some honest conversations behind the scenes.” “All things passes in the end,” Alonso mused, possibly speaking as much about poor form as anything else.