DeAndre Yedlin insists Sunderland's players were to blame for defeat at Everton.
The Black Cats lost 6-2, with many blaming manager Sam Allardyce's tactics.
But Yedlin told the Evening Chronicle: “It was a new system, but I don't think you can blame the system – it comes down to the players on the field.
“With a little bit more quality here and there, I think we would have come away from that game with a result.
“Defensively, we needed to be more compact and stop the counter better. Nobody was thinking right. We had fought our way back into the game and were 2-2 at Everton, and to have got away with a point would have been great in that situation.
“Instead we were too anxious and were trying to go for a win, and there were times when too many of us – myself included – pushed forward and left the back three exposed, and we got hit on the counter.
“This weekend's game (against Southampton) is huge for our team and for our fans. We have to get their trust back and make them happy going into the international break."
