Ranieri: We're Simply Not Good Enough

“We’re simply not good enough.”

That’s the opinion of the Juve boss, after witnessing his team put out a lacklustre effort against Sampdoria to draw 0-0 at home on Sunday.

Just a week earlier, Alessandro Del Piero’s last-gasp penalty salvaged a 1-1 draw at Catania. These two results leave Juventus 12 points behind champions and league leaders Inter, who came from behind to beat struggling Parma 3-2.

Immediately after the game, Ranieri was not as downcast, insisting that his team were just missing a goal. However, as the feelings sunk in, the opinion has changed.

Now, Rainieri has conceded that there’s little chance of Juventus winning the Scudetto this season.

"We're not at the same level as the big teams," he said.

"Congratulations to Sampdoria, they played well. We had the chances but we needed to convert them. Of course, we can't always win but our position in the league hasn't changed much.

“As for us, I believe we’ll need to strengthen the squad and do our best for the rest of the season.”

Although Ranieri intends to bolster his squad with new players, he has faced frustration in signing the players that he wants.

He said: "We will certainly do something but we have to find the right player for us. If they're looking at Milan or Inter, then they certainly won't be joining us."

Meanwhile, Juve goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon believes that his teammates shouldn’t be concerned about winning the Serie A crown anymore.

Instead, the Italian international has advised them to be wary with the teams behind them, who are competing with them for the four Champions League places. Fiorentina's third consecutive win cut their gap to Juve to three points while European champions AC Milan have been resurgent. Despite being in ninth place - they have three games in hand on their rivals.

"I've said before that we expect Milan to come back into the Champions League race and they've proved me right and are looking dangerous once again," said Buffon.

Milan spent their three-week winter break training in Dubai and have won both their matches since the Serie A season resumed.