Santos finished second in 2016 in the Serie A as they failed to close the gap with Palmeiras, but this team was motivated at the start of the new campaign to seal the title this time. The domestic league was a bit similar though as Santos failed to keep up with one team again. It was Corinthians this time and this seemed to frustrate the club during the full season. The atmosphere never seemed ideal and the consistency just wasn't there. Manager Dorival Junior had to leave the club after a couple of matches due to a disastrous start and Levir Culpi, his replacement, didn't even finish the season despite Santos's top three position. Elano took over near the end of the season, but it was just too little too late to push for the title.
Santos didn't have the qualities this season to push for the title and the main reason was in fact the lack of goals. Santos only managed to produce 42 goals in 38 games, which just wasn't enough to generate real pressure on Corinthians. The defence performed exceptionally well, though, as goalkeeper Vanderlei showed his class as usual, but Santos lacked that extra bit of luck and quality to push for glory.
The Copa Libertadores provided this club with another opportunity to show their skills, but the quarter-final turned out into a disaster instead. A 1-1 draw in the away game against Ecuadorian side Barcelona seemed like the ideal result with the home match still in hand, but a disappointing 0-1 defeat in front of the own crowd knocked Santos out of the cup. This was a huge blow for Santos and the club didn't respond that well to be honest. The last months of the season in the Serie A weren't that impressive and Santos finished third eventually due to their goal difference as Palmeiras claimed the second position. Santos battled for glory for long, but they didn't deliver on the key moments, which proved fatal to say the least.
