Palmeiras managed to win the Serie A in 2016, which was their first title since 1994. Their ninth championship, which is the highest amount in Brazilian football, put Palmeiras in the perfect position for the 2017 season as well, but the title holders somehow failed to keep up with Corinthians during the first weeks of the season, which resulted in a fatal gap with the first spot. The lack of stability and consistency remained a key factor throughout the season and manager Cuca even had to leave the club as a result in October.
Alberto Valentim, his replacement, did seal some decent results with Palmeiras, but it was just too little too late for this outfit. The high amount of defeats was the main cause for the second spot to be honest. Palmeiras left the pitch empty-handed on thirteen occasions, which provided a team like Corinthians with the opportunity to create a big gap. The Palmeiras outfit did seal the second spot, which was actually a decent result as clubs like Santos, Gremio and Cruzeiro didn't record as many losses as the team from Sao Paulo.
The Copa Libertadores could have provided the fans with something to cheer for this time, but that campaign didn't turn out into a success at all. A defeat against Barcelona from Ecuador proved fatal. The season overall was a decent one, but there won't be a great atmosphere as a result due to the early elimination in the Copa Libertadores and the second spot in the Serie A, nine points behind Corinthians.
