I am not sure then what is the best indicator, if you do not feel the cl is the best way to determine the best team in Europe.
The past winners of the Cl have been the best teams in Europe, Real Madrid, Bayern, Real Madrid, Manu United etc
I have seen our matches in full and i can assure you it was no fluke, the way we went out in the Cl, we just didn't have the class of players, teams like Real Madrid had, forget about the injuries because every team suffers injuries.
Any partial observer will tell you that if not for injuries, Inter or Roma would have won the league so you cannot use injuries as an excuse for our failure in Cl and then ignore Roma and Inter's injury problems or you don't think that Ronaldo, Vieri and Dalmat playing a full season wouldn't have made a difference. if you remember correctly Inter at one point were playing with Dibiagio at the back because of injury problems, Roma played without Totti, Batistuta and Montella for a spell so injuries happens to everyone.
I watched every match Juve played last season and at times we were baffling, totally bereft of ideas, I will give you 2 examples, against Bologna when were drawing 1-1 and Dp was taken off, and the crowd booed, I honestly didn't think we would score, but luckily Pessotto crossed the ball and Tarantino scored an own goal, but i knew no way we would have scored otherwise. The other game was against Piacenza, I saw a team after the first half just give up, totally lacking in ideas until Nedved shot and scored
When I watch football, I look for how many times a team creates genuine chances, I don't mind if they don't take them but at least I know they can create, we just have a team capable of beating smaller teams, why because we lack CREATIVITY.
Whose fault that is, I don't know, not sure if its the board or the manager that decides which player is bought, but I do find it worrying that we have refused to buy a creative player.
I am not one for being too pessimistic or too optimistic i am just realistic and I do not see how this present squad can go against Bayern, Real madrid or Man united on a 2 legged basis and i will be confident we will triumph