But Lara said his players were confident going into a make-or-break Super Eights game against South Africa at the Grenada National Stadium here Tuesday.
Responding to accusations that under his captaincy the West Indies had played lacklustre cricket and appeared to lack motivation, Lara said: "We have three games left and if we win all three we have a good chance of playing in the semi-finals. That is enough motivation."
Lara acknowledged that his team had under-performed in their most recent game, against Sri Lanka in Guyana eight days ago.
"Yes, we did look flat," he said.
"But in the last few days the guys have looked in the mirror and we've moved on."
The West Indies captain said a quick succession of games in the early stages of the Super Eights had drained his team but the nine-day break before the South African game was a positive.
"Everyone was looking forward to the break. We're definitely refreshed, we've had some good net sessions and the guys are looking forward t