Sahin: Players to blame for Turkey slump

Nuri Sahin has admitted that the players are to blame for Turkey's poor performances in this World Cup qualifying campaign.

Abdullah Avci's side is currently four points behind Tuesday's opponent Hungary in Group D, with a stuttering 2-0 win over minnow Andorra doing little to appease disgruntled supporters.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder concedes that the Euro 2008 semifinalist is unlikely to take part in next summer's finals unless the players begin to replicate their club form on the international stage.

"It's totally our fault. Some of us are performing at our club, but not with the national team. Maybe I am on this list too," he told Milliyet. "If we can't qualify for World Cup in Brazil, we really need to think about it. Right now, our situation is in the hands of other teams. We should have got better results in our earlier games."

Some reports have claimed that their is a split in the squad between players who were brought up in Turkey and those raised in Germany and the rest of Europe.

But Sahin, who was born in Ludenscheid, Germany, refuted these comments and explained that there are no issues within the camp.

"There is no separation in the team. Arda Turan and Mehmet Topal are my best friends and they weren't raised in Germany. These kind of rumors are rubbish," he added.