Sven Goran Eriksson’s side are all but out of the World Cup and need a miracle if they are to progress from a group containing Portugal and Brazil.
“Expectations were huge and we owed it to ourselves to perform well,” he told The Sun.
“But the pressure has caused us more stress than anything and even inhibited our talents.
“All of us have put lots of pressure on ourselves because this World Cup is being played on our continent.
“There have been a few players who haven’t been up to the standard required.
“Their abilities have been crushed by the pressure they’ve put on their own shoulders.”
