Barcelona head into the New Year aiming to add more silverware to their trophy cabinet, but 2017 was ultimately a slightly disappointing 12 months for the La Liga giants in terms of silverware.
Barca marked the end of Luis Enrique's time as manager by becoming the first side since the 1950s to win the Copa del Rey three years in a row with a 3-1 victory over Alaves. However, success in the Champions League and La Liga eluded them and fans will certainly expect a better return in 2018.
At the Winter Break, FC Barcelona remains the only undefeated team left in Europe; firmly in control of the league.
At the winter break, FC Barcelona is in the most envious situation that no one imagined when everything started this season. The start to the season was dreadful; fear, confusion, doubts, sense of inferiority all prevailed. Neymar transfer saga, that too that sudden and that late into the season was not the ideal way to prepare for the season. The team looked lost; emphasized in mega scale by the abject performance the team put up against their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Super Cup. For the first time, a two legged tie against Real Madrid felt like torture; it was too much to take for the fans; may be even for the players. Pique put it ever so correctly by saying "may be for the first time in many years, Barca felt inferior to Real Madrid". It wasn't that feeling of inferiority which actually hurt; but a feeling of "No Hope"; that really hurt the fans more. It looked like we were starting to go down the hill.
Luis Saurez, Lionel Messi and Aleix Vidal scored for Barca against Real Madrid to take Barca fourteen points clear of their arch-rival.
Barca kept on their emphatic success streak in La Liga with a 3-0 thumping of their arch-rivals and defending Champions Real Madrid at their own home ground. This was never supposed to be the script which Real Madrid fans and most of the pundits wrote. This was supposed to be a "White Christmas"! The stadium was ready for it; they were presented the World Club Title and this was supposed to be a grand celebration party. But Barcelona boys just gate crashed it - not only destroying the party atmosphere but definitely the team spirits and along with it mostly the title hopes. This is the third consecutive victorious visit of Barca at the Santiago Bernebeu, a rare feat by all measures! With this victory Barca have moved fourteen points clear of defending Champions, Real Madrid and nine points clear of second placed Atletico Madrid. That's a huge lead especially when we are not even at half-way of the league. Barca now go to the winter break with serious momentum behind them.
