Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri claimed Juventus are in a league of their own after seeing his side lose for the first time this season, and drop four points behind the Bianconeri.
Speaking after a 1-0 defeat at Atalanta, which came just hours after Juve had won 3-0 in Empoli, Sarri claimed it had never been in his mind to match the record Italian champions stride for stride this season.
"Juve are in a league of their own and they are playing a season like a team who belong in a different league," La Gazzetta dello Sport report Sarri as saying. "We never thought that our season could run in parallel to Juve's. We are a young team and we need to grow, and this week is going to help us understand our mistakes and improve."
Sarri felt his side's emphatic 4-2 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday contributed to their defeat in Bergamo, saying they still have to learn how to juggle their European and domestic duties.
He made just three changes to the side which won in midweek and dismissed suggestions he should have rotated his team more.
"We paid dearly for the energy we spent in the Champions League, particularly psychologically, because we didn't manage to shake that off and charge ourselves up again in time," Sarri said. "But I never had this feeling [that more changes should have been made]. The physical data was good for almost all of the players.
"We just need to improve when faced with aggressive opponents who draw us into the tackles. When we play against these aggressive teams on a difficult playing surface, we reach our limit. We need to learn from games like these and manage to take points home with us, even in these conditions. That is the step forward we need to take."
The Azzurri host third-placed Roma in their first game back after the international break, prior to their next Champions League encounter with Besiktas.