Neill blasts team-mates over Emirates Cup loss

Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill has blamed the players for Sunday’s stunning 4-0 Emirates Cup semi-final loss to Al Shabab.

The former Galatasaray, Everton, West Ham and Blackburn defender, who turned 34 last Friday, claimed the side were ‘buzzing’ after last week’s 4-2 Asian Champions League win at Nasaf Qarshi.

Al Jazira also had boss Franky Vercauteren sacked on Thursday, due to his inability to get along with the players, but Neill said the change of coach had nothing to do with Sunday’s stunning defeat claiming the players ‘left it all in the changing room’.

“A new manager, a team full of confidence after a great Asian Champions League game and a changing room buzzing and hoping to impress the new manager,” Neill wrote on his own website.

“Semi-final of the Etisalat Cup at home and we left it all in the changing room.”

He added: “The Jazira have ended a big week on a huge low!! I feel sorry for our manager (Caio Junior). Two days to prepare a team that was brimming with confidence only to see them forget to turn up on gameday.”

Al Jazira were 3-0 down by the break and Neill lamented the players’ attitude early in the game.

“It was a terrible start against the one team in the league that has the genuine ability to punish you,” he said.

“We still have three chances for glory this season but this is disappointing. Semi-finals are far from easy but we never gave ourselves a chance. We worked so hard for 10 group games only to be undone in the first 15 mins of the semi.”