Sassuolo coach Roberto de Zerbi says his players deserve greater recognition for their recent achievements.
De Zerbi feels their success is being taken for granted.
Ahead of facing Juventus, De Zerbi said: “Everything that Sassuolo has become seems to be taken for granted, but the truth is that we are having huge problems over the last few months and that makes our results even more extraordinary.
“Even in the games where we faltered, we never changed our identity or lost our courage. Losing to Milan, Inter or Atalanta can happen, because these are stronger teams than we are, but we won't change our approach because of that.
“We've already said that we won't shy away from any objective, but that doesn't mean we are somehow obliged to then achieve it. We are clear and realistic, not like those who try to pretend they are not competing for certain targets in a bid to lower the pressure, but are fooling nobody.
“On the other hand, I also won't stand for my players being judged negatively even when beating Genoa to have 29 points in 16 rounds. Nobody seems to acknowledge what Sassuolo are doing.
“Sassuolo are confirming our status as a surprise and that is tougher than people realise. I don't know where we will end up, but we must have some sense of balance in the way we judge expectations. If someone gets blinded by the lights and gets it wrong, that's not our fault."