We all screwed up against France – Hitzfeld

Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is not blaming individuals for their 5-2 defeat against France, insisting everyone “screwed up”.

Hitzfeld’s side got their Group E campaign off to a winning start by beating Ecuador 2-1, but a hammering at the hands of France on Friday provided a harsh reality check.

Despite that loss, the Swiss retain a good chance of reaching the knockout phase and must better Ecuador’s result against France when they take on Honduras on Wednesday.

Star player Xherdan Shaqiri has come in for some criticism after failing to impress so far, yet Hitzfeld insists everyone in the Switzerland squad must take responsibility for the team’s poor performance against France.

“Everyone screwed up in that game,” said the veteran coach. “We cannot point to individuals.

“Each player has the potential to improve and we will try to do this in the next game.

“We will talk to the players, each of them, to convey our confidence in their ability to play against Honduras. We forget that defeat.”

Midfielder Valon Behrami echoed Hitzfeld’s thoughts regarding shared responsibility.

He added: “We talked to the coach to make sure we have a positive response.

“Each one of us knows what we did wrong individually in that defeat. Now we must look ahead.

“The Swiss team has players with international experience. One must assume responsibility.”