"To lose nine internationals at this point isn't the best, it would have been better to prepare for our Serie A return with everyone here," lamented Ranieri. "Everyone will be back on Thursday and from that point we will have a couple of days in order to prepare for the challenge with Livorno.

"This Juve has changed a lot and we cannot forget that it has lived through a tsunami. We have already done great things but we must still continue to build: with 8-11 new players against AC Milan last Friday, we did not do too badly.

"I'm sure that we will fight to be in the high zones of the table and only at the end of the championship will we be able to make our judgments. We want to reach the Champions League.

"Up to now we have always played against teams who are already ahead of us in their preparations. A mother has nine months in order to bring her son into the world, so we do still need a little time."