Rodrygo celebrated with Alonso to 'show Real Madrid's unity'
The pressure is piling on Xabi Alonso after a run of just two wins in eight for Real Madrid, but Rodrygo says the club remain united.
Rodrygo says he wanted to "show Real Madrid's unity" by hugging Xabi Alonso following his goal against Manchester City in the Champions League.
The Brazilian opened the scoring in the 2-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu, which was their second consecutive loss.
Madrid had gone into that match on the back of a 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo in LaLiga, which piled the pressure on Alonso.
Los Blancos have only won two of their last eight outings in all competitions (D3 L3), with reports suggesting that club executives had met to discuss Alonso's future.
"We know there's a lot of pressure here," Rodrygo said. "It's normal when things don't go your way on the field.
"After my goal, I went to hug Xabi to show the team's unity. I knew it was important to have that moment.
"It's a difficult time. It is for us, and it is for him [Alonso], too. Things aren't working out, and I wanted to show people that we are united with our coach.
"I know a lot of things are always said. They often try to create a lot of things, and I just wanted to say that we were united and that we need this unity to move forward and achieve our goal."
Since the start of last season, Madrid have lost five of their league-phase games in the Champions League – as many as they lost in the group stage of the competition from 2019-20 to 2023-24 combined beforehand.
They are currently seventh in the league table but are at risk of dropping into the knockout-round play-offs for the second season running, with just two points separating sixth from 15th.
In LaLiga, Madrid are second but are four points behind leaders Barcelona after just one win in their last five league outings (D2 L2).
Alonso's side were greeted with jeers at the full-time whistle after losing to City, and Rodrygo says he understands the fans’ frustration.
"It's normal," he added. "It's fair. We know that Madrid is a very demanding club; the fans are very demanding.
"We've been here for many years, and we know that's what happens if we're not doing well. We have to try to improve and try to get out of this situation."
