Maurizio Sarri joked that Juventus must be really good if they claimed the Scudetto under the first-time Serie A-winning head coach as the champions maintained their stranglehold on Italian football.

Juve defeated Sampdoria 2-0 thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi on Sunday to clinch their ninth successive Serie A crown, a record run dating back to 2011-12.

Sarri – who replaced Massimiliano Allegri at the start of the season – became the oldest coach to win Serie A as the 61-year-old claimed his maiden league trophy, having only previously led Chelsea to Europa League glory last term.

Following a difficult first season in Turin, where his philosophy has been regularly questioned, former Chelsea and Napoli boss Sarri revelled in his achievement.

"I told them, if you won with me who has never won anything, you must be really good," Sarri told Sky Sport Italia when asked what he said to his players during the celebrations.

"The first day you come in, you see people, not just world-class players. As time passes, you get fond of them and the rapport goes from being strictly professional to personal too.

"The first day, I step into the locker room and know there are some top players. After a while, you walk in there knowing there are some great guys you can rely on too."

"It has a special feeling, of course. It's difficult to win, it becomes even more complicated to keep winning, as taking something for granted in sport is one of the biggest lies in the world," Sarri said.

"It was not a walk in the park. It was long, difficult, stressful, and this squad deserves a lot of credit for continuing to find the hunger and determination to keep going after eight wins in a row.