Any chance Juventus had of winning the Scudetto this season has surely been extinguished this evening following an embarrassing home loss to relegation-threatened Udinese.

There are no excuses whatsoever; the referee cannot be blamed, bad luck cannot be blamed. What can be blamed are the players and their sorry performances.

It would be easy to single out certain individuals, but the problem is that almost every player in a Juve shirt was woeful. The whole team was devoid of ideas and creativity. They barely threatened the Udinese goal, and if the game went on for another 24 hours, Juve would still not have scored.

Max Allegri has to take his share of the blame as well. He selected this lineup, deployed the tactics and strategy, and the truth is, he was found wanting.

Inter are now seven points clear with a game in hand, and Juve now have to worry far more about AC Milan taking over the second spot. That is now the state of play, from being title contenders to no longer being assured of second.

Udinese did not play out of their skins; they did not have to. They got their goal and then defended well. They were organized and disciplined, not something that can be attributed to the Juventus midfield and forward line.

There is now going to have to be some deep soul-searching at the club. Is Allegri the man for the job? Are certain players fit to wear the jersey, and are some players being overhyped?