🔗 Share this article Xabi Alonso Walking a Precarious Path at Real Madrid Amidst Squad Backing. No offensive player in Real Madrid’s history had endured scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a statement to broadcast, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth match this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against the English champions. Then he wheeled and charged towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could represent an more significant liberation. “It’s a difficult time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.” By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been taken from them, another loss ensuing. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. On this occasion, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, rattled the bar in the dying moments. A Suspended Verdict “It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The question was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep 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 felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the manager: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was reserved, sentencing suspended, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon. A More Credible Form of Defeat Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, not a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most critical criticism not levelled at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, coming close to securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this performance, the boss stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion. The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reaction That was not completely the case. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a muted stream to the exits. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were instances when they clapped too.” Dressing Room Unity Remains Evident “I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, finding somewhere not exactly in the compromise. The longevity of a remedy that is remains an matter of debate. One little moment in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that idea to hang there, responding: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.” A Foundation of Resistance Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this climate, 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 elevated as a form of positive. Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his doing. “In my view my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the mindset. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a difference.” Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were behind the coach, also responded with a figure: “100%.” “We persist in striving to work it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to fix it in there.” “In my opinion the coach has been great. I myself have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.” “All things concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps referring as much about adversity as his own predicament.
No offensive player in Real Madrid’s history had endured scoreless for as extended a period as Rodrygo, but finally he was unleashed and he had a statement to broadcast, executed for public consumption. The Brazilian, who had been goalless in almost a year and was commencing only his fifth match this campaign, beat shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give them the advantage against the English champions. Then he wheeled and charged towards the bench to embrace Xabi Alonso, the boss on the edge for whom this could represent an more significant liberation. “It’s a difficult time for him, similar to how it is for us,” Rodrygo said. “Performances are not going our way and I aimed to demonstrate the public that we are as one with the coach.” By the time Rodrygo made his comments, the advantage had been taken from them, another loss ensuing. City had come back, going 2-1 ahead with “minimal”, Alonso remarked. That can transpire when you’re in a “sensitive” condition, he added, but at least Madrid had responded. On this occasion, they could not complete a turnaround. Endrick, brought on having played very little all season, rattled the bar in the dying moments. A Suspended Verdict “It wasn’t enough,” Rodrygo admitted. The question was whether it would be enough for Alonso to keep 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 felt privately. “We demonstrated that we’re behind the manager: we have performed creditably, provided 100%,” Courtois concluded. And so the axe was reserved, sentencing suspended, with fixtures against Alavés and Sevilla on the horizon. A More Credible Form of Defeat Madrid had been defeated at home for the second match in four days, perpetuating their poor form to a mere pair of successes in eight, but this seemed a somewhat distinct. This was Manchester City, not a domestic opponent. Streamlined, they had competed with intensity, the most obvious and most critical criticism not levelled at them this time. With eight men out injured, they had lost only to a opportunistic strike and a penalty, coming close to securing something at the final whistle. There were “many of very good things” about this performance, the boss stated, and there could be “no criticism” of his players, on this occasion. The Bernabéu's Ambivalent Reaction That was not completely the case. There were spells in the closing 45 minutes, as discontent grew, when the Santiago Bernabéu had jeered. At the conclusion, a section of supporters had done so again, although there was in addition pockets of appreciation. But mostly, there was a muted stream to the exits. “We understand that, we comprehend it,” Rodrygo noted. Alonso added: “There's nothing that doesn't occur before. And there were instances when they clapped too.” Dressing Room Unity Remains Evident “I sense the backing of the players,” Alonso declared. And if he supported them, they backed him too, at least in front of the cameras. There has been a coming together, conversations: the coach had listened to them, maybe more than they had adapted to him, finding somewhere not exactly in the compromise. The longevity of a remedy that is remains an matter of debate. One little moment in the post-match press conference felt significant. Asked about Pep Guardiola’s suggestion to follow his own path, Alonso had permitted that idea to hang there, responding: “I share a good connection with Pep, we know each other well and he is aware of what he is implying.” A Foundation of Resistance Above all though, he could be satisfied that there was a fight, a reaction. Madrid’s players had not given up during the game and after it they defended him. Part of it may have been for show, done out of duty or self-preservation, but in this climate, 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 elevated as a form of positive. Earlier, Aurélien Tchouaméni had stated firmly the coach had a strategy, that their shortcomings were not his doing. “In my view my teammate Aurélien nailed it in the press conference,” Raúl Asencio said post-match. “The only way is [for] the players to alter the mindset. The attitude is the linchpin and today we have witnessed a difference.” Jude Bellingham, pressed if they were behind the coach, also responded with a figure: “100%.” “We persist in striving to work it out in the locker room,” he elaborated. “We understand that the [outside] noise will not be beneficial so it is about attempting to fix it in there.” “In my opinion the coach has been great. I myself have a excellent connection with him,” Bellingham added. “Following the spell of games where we were held a few, we had some really great conversations among ourselves.” “All things concludes in the end,” Alonso mused, perhaps referring as much about adversity as his own predicament.