Nothing has come easy for Xavi and Barcelona this season, and to start the new year the challenges continued.
Just as La Liga wanted it, the season stops for no one.
No choice but to get on with it and find a way to get a result. Something this Barcelona team hasn’t always been good at.
The heroes in this one were two players in desperate need of the new beginnings that a new year can bring.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Luuk de Jong stepped up and seized a much-needed victory, and with it a confidence boost they can hopefully ride as the calendar changes.