Ratten was bitterly disappointed by the lifeless performance of his side against Essendon last week in which he described his team as playing "without any real mojo".
He admitted the limits imposed by the sports scientists at the club had kept him from punishing his players with a heavy workload on the track this week, so he demanded a response across the board against the Crows instead.
"I think if you look at quality, we're bring one of the best players in the competition back into our team and that's an enormous plus for us, but to think Chris Judd is going to waltz out and get best on ground I think is a big ask for anyone who's missed three games," Ratten said from Visy Park on Wednesday.
"I dare say he'll get tagged as he does all the time, so he'll be under pressure from his direct opponent and their team focus to stop his influence on the game. I think he'll contribute in a real positive way for the team, which will be a plus.
"He might be the spark that we need, but I don’t think we can just put all our eggs in one basket and say Chris Judd will come out and win us the game of football.
"Offensively and defensively [against the Bombers] I thought we had a mindset that just didn't come to play football and hopefully we see a response. We better see a response on Saturday."
Ratten said Judd had been "chafing at the bit" while he watched his side from the coaches box during the 1-2 start to the season as he served his three-match suspension.
The coach was confident that despite lacking match fitness, the extra work Judd had done during his exile would allow him to play about 85 per cent of the game.
Ratten ruled out inside midfielder Brock McLean with a hip injury while important defender Paul Bower is in danger of missing his third straight game with a leg complaint that he is struggling to throw off.
With so many players performing below expectations recently, the coach admitted he would be asking some tough questions of them and said Jeff Garlett, Simon Wiggins, Richard Hadley and even rookie Simon White were in contention for senior call-ups.
Talkback radio has been alive with the discontent of supporters venting their frustrations following the club's last two games, but Ratten said the response would come in actions not words.
"It does sting a little bit, but all in all we can only respond by the next outing that we have as a team. I suppose the players have heard it as well," he said.
"The big thing about the Carlton Football Club is that there is high expectation.
"As a player there was and as a coach there [still] is - supporters expect a lot [as does] the board, the president right through - there is high expectation at our football club.
"We don’t shy away from that and to deliver that performance was very embarrassing for our club and is something that we would like to change [this week]."
