Manchester City defender Micah Richards offered no excuses for England after Wednesday night's dismal defeat to Croatia.
"We got beaten by the better team, which is upsetting because we were at home in front of nearly 90,00 fans. The players have to take as much responsibility as the manager.
"Because we only needed a draw we got a little bit complacent.
"When we went 2-0 down, we all knew - well I knew - that if we got the first goal when we came back out we would get it back to 2-2. But when we did equalise we seemed to take our foot off the gas which was a bad idea and we were punished.
"There were players out there who didn't perform and I hold my hand up as one of them.
"England have such good players but we don't really seem to play to the best of our abilities. I don't know why. We've got some of the best players in the world and we do it every week for the clubs, it's just disappointing that we can't do it for our country."
The Manchester City ace, given his England bow at 18 by axed boss Steve McClaren, added: "I was sorry to see him sacked but I wasn't shocked."