Eamon Dunphy has singled out James McCarthy for strong criticism in the wake of the Republic of Ireland's 3-0 defeat to Belgium, and said Roy Keane must shoulder some of the responsibility for the lack of improvement in midfield.
McCarthy was caught napping for Belgium's second goal, failing to track Axel Witsel's run as the Zenit Saint Petersburg man rose to nod home for the Red Devils.
He was also guilty of diving into a challenge on Kevin De Bruyne in the build-up to Romelu Lukaku's opener, and Dunphy said there were no excuses for such costly mistakes.
"James McCarthy is a big lad; he's six foot, and he's a very experienced Premier League player," the RTÉ soccer analyst said when looking back on Witsel's header.
"At a good junior club or a good schoolboy club, a coach would put on a session and say, 'this is what you do'.
"You learn what to do there in professional football when you're 15. He's playing for Ireland. Witsel is there, he's there. That can't happen.
"I tried to praise him [at half-time] for pressing the ball. I don't want to be having a go at lads but I've been going on about him for years. The other side of the game is getting on the ball, taking responsibility and playing. He doesn't do that either.
"I played for Millwall and... I tell you what, there would have been hell to pay on the pitch, there'd have been murder [had a team-mate replicated McCarthy's mistake]."
Dunphy pointed the finger at assistant boss Keane as he lamented the failings in the Irish engine room.
"This is the mystery of the Irish soccer team, that you've got two midfield players - Glenn Whelan and McCarthy - who are culpable in one way or another for either not getting on the ball and playing it or for letting things happen," he added.
"Where is Roy Keane? He's forthright. He's prepared to say things. Why not go out on the training ground and work with these guys and improve them as players. That's what good coaches do.
"Ciarán Clark wants it too much, and James McCarthy doesn't want it enough."
Belgium were shut out by an outstandingly disciplined Italian defence in their first Group E encounter, but Ireland always looked on the ropes against a fluid and pacey attack.
Dunphy expected more from the Boys in Green however, as he lamented the absence of "basic" qualities at the back.
"The Italians are state of the art at this, but all good teams, and all good pros do it. It's basic. We've got 70,000 people out there. We've got a whole nation looking at us at home.
"These guys are wealthy young men. You should be demanding of them. 'Why are you slagging the players, blah blah blah'. I'm not slagging the players, I'm explaining to the people who are funding this whole thing, the fans, why it went pear shaped.
"They deserve to know. If that means pointing the finger, you point the finger."
