Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli insisted that Sunday's harmful defeat to Fiorentina wasn't Luciano Spalletti's fault.
The Bianconeri tumbled from third place in the table to sixth in the space of 90 minutes, as they were outplayed at home by the Viola , with every other result on Sunday's early kick-off going against them.
Napoli secured their Champions League spot with a big win in Pisa, while Milan, Roma, and Como leapfrogged the Serie A giants after securing victories over Genoa, Lazio, and Parma, respectively.
After the contest, Spalletti made a mea culpa , taking responsibility for the weak character displayed by the team.
Nevertheless, Locatelli refused to throw the coach under the bus, instead taking the blame alongside his teammates for the shocking defeat.
"I don't even think he (Spalletti) should be questioned. The responsibility is ours; we're the ones who go out on the pitch," argued the 28-year-old in his post-match press conference via JuventusNews24 .
"The first self-assessment has to come from us. Here at Juventus, we're always under scrutiny, but we as players — and I as captain first and foremost — have to look at ourselves. If we don't achieve the Champions League objective, it's a serious matter."
The Juventus captain admitted that the team is suffering from a psychological issue preventing them from making the leap in quality.
"I think we lacked a bit of ruthlessness in the decisive matches; I believe it's a mental issue. We weren't able to handle the pressure that was there.
"We had to win these games and that's something we need to improve. I know there's no time here and I know that now it no longer depends on us. That makes it difficult."
Locatelli was asked how he felt as a club captain watching the team sink into an agonising defeat, which could wreck their entire campaign.
"As captain, I'm devastated. I live everything giving 100%, and everyone has to take responsibility. We are the first ones who need to examine ourselves, then the club can make all the evaluations it sees fit."
The skipper revealed that the Juventus directors were in the dressing room after the match, but did not interfere with the dynamics.
"They didn't say anything because right now there's nothing to say. Today we played a terrible match, so it's difficult to find the words.
"The fans have every right to criticise us, that's the reality, and everything no longer depends on us. That's serious."
