No forward in the club's annals had experienced failing to find the net for as such a duration as Rodrygo, but eventually he was freed and he had a statement to deliver, acted out for the world to see. The Brazilian, who had failed to score in an extended drought and was commencing only his fifth match this campaign, beat custodian Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand his team the opening goal against Pep Guardiola's side. Then he turned and charged towards the bench to hug Xabi Alonso, the coach under pressure for whom this could represent an more significant liberation.
“It’s a difficult time for him, like it is for us,” Rodrygo commented. “Results aren’t coming off and I sought to show people that we are as one with the coach.”
By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the lead had been lost, a setback following. City had come back, taking 2-1 ahead with “very little”, Alonso noted. That can occur when you’re in a “fragile” state, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. Ultimately, they could not engineer a recovery. Endrick, brought on having played a handful of minutes all season, hit the crossbar in the final seconds.
“It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo said. The issue was whether it would be sufficient for Alonso to retain his job. “We didn't view it as [this was a trial of the coach],” veteran keeper Thibaut Courtois stated, 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 manager: we have performed creditably, offered 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the final decision was postponed, sentencing suspended, with matches against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon.
Madrid had been overcome at home for the second occasion in four days, extending their recent run to two wins in eight, but this felt a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, rather than a lesser opponent. Simplified, they had actually run, the easiest and most harsh accusation not aimed at them in this instance. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a messy goal and a penalty, coming close to securing something at the final whistle. There were “a lot of very good things” about this performance, the boss said, and there could be “no reproach” of his players, tonight.
That was not entirely the full story. There were periods in the closing 45 minutes, as frustration grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had voiced its disapproval. At the final whistle, a section of supporters had continued, although there was likewise pockets of appreciation. But for the most part, there was a quiet stream to the doors. “We understand that, we understand it,” Rodrygo commented. Alonso stated: “This is nothing that hasn’t happened before. And there were instances when they cheered too.”
“I have the confidence of the players,” Alonso said. And if he backed them, they stood by him too, at least in front of the media. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had accommodated them, arguably more than they had adapted to him, finding a point not quite in the center.
The longevity of a remedy that is is still an matter of debate. One seemingly minor moment in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s advice to do things his way, Alonso had permitted that idea to linger, responding: “I share a good relationship with Pep, we understand each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.”
Crucially though, he could be content that there was a fight, a response. Madrid’s players had not let Alonso fall during the game and after it they publicly backed him. This support may have been for show, done out of duty or self-interest, but in this climate, it was significant. The intensity with which they played had been as well – even if there is a risk of the most fundamental of expectations somehow being elevated as a kind of success.
Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their mistakes were not his responsibility. “I believe my colleague Aurélien said it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The key is [for] the players to alter the approach. The attitude is the crucial element and today we have witnessed a shift.”
Jude Bellingham, asked if they were with the coach, also replied in numbers: “100%.”
“We’re still attempting to figure it out in the locker room,” he said. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to sort it out in there.”
“In my opinion the gaffer has been great. I personally have a excellent relationship with him,” Bellingham added. “After the run of games where we tied a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.”
“Every situation concludes in the end,” Alonso concluded, perhaps talking as much about poor form as everything.
Elara is a seasoned writer and digital storyteller with a passion for exploring diverse literary genres and empowering others through words.
