Juventus' hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League are hanging by a thread.

Last Sunday evening, the Bianconeri hosted top four rivals AC Milan in Turin and they were defeated 3-0.

Goals from Brahim Diaz, Ante Rebic and Fikayo Tomori sealed Juve's fate, leaving them fifth in the Serie A table with just three games of the league campaign remaining.

If they fail to finish above one of either Atalanta, Napoli and Milan, it would be an absolute disaster for the club and would also likely spell the end of Andrea Pirlo's time as manager.

In the wake of Juve's latest humiliation in 2020/21, rival fans were quick to target Cristiano Ronaldo, who was certainly below-par throughout the defeat to Milan.

However, the idea that the Portuguese superstar has had a negative impact on the team's campaign as a whole is laughable.

Ronaldo has scored 34 goals across all competitions this season and he's single-handedly won numerous games for the Bianconeri, particularly in Serie A.

If anything, the former Real Madrid man has been let down by his teammates, something that is incredibly hard to deny after watching footage of Juve's plethora of defensive errors in 2020/21 - which you can do in the video below.

Juve's defensive mistakes

Woeful back-passes, goalkeeping errors, inept defending from experienced players and much, much more.

This season, Juve really have been a pale shadow of the all-conquering team that dominated Italian football over the past decade and not even Ronaldo has been able to prevent that from happening.

Yes, in a few big games in 2020/21, the Portuguese goal machine has been average at best, but his goals have also helped keep the club afloat during Pirlo's nightmare debut campaign as a manager.

Had the five-time Ballon d'Or winner not been there to make up for some of the team's mistakes at the back, Juve would be struggling to qualify for next season's Europa League - let alone the Champions League.

Those select few Juve fans who want Ronaldo gone in the summer should be careful what they wish for...

(Credit: The Football Terrace)