England head into Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Poland knowing a repeat of their mistakes in a 2-2 draw with Austria could leave them looking for a new manager.
Sven-Goran Eriksson has been under fire by the British media since their Euro 2004 exit, while revelations about his private life led to reports of unrest with his stewardship among some Football Association officials.
Saturday's squandering of a two-goal lead in their opening Group Six qualifier in Vienna did nothing to ease matters, while a defeat in Chorzow would leave Eriksson perilously exposed.
Though little went according to plan in the second half at the Ernst Happel Stadion, the England manager has a number of mitigating circumstances in his defence, notably his absentees.
Up front, teenage striker Wayne Rooney is still sidelined by a foot injury suffered in the quarter-final defeat by Portugal at Euro 2004, while his replacement Alan Smith failed to show the sparkle he has brought to Manchester United this season.
In the middle, the international retirement of playmaker Paul Scholes has deprived England of a cutting edge, while the deployment of reserve left back Wayne Bridge as a left midfielder on Saturday yielded nothing.
Denied space on the flank by the Austrian defence, Bridge was forced to come inside and on to his much weaker right foot, leaving him able only to tap the ball to a nearby team mate.
Captain David Beckham tried to improve on his disappointing form at Euro 2004, while central midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard provided rays of hope, their dogged performances being rewarded with a goal each.
Given the stakes, Eriksson could well re-shuffle his pack against the Poles and scrap the 'flat' four across the middle in favour of a diamond shape.
Switching to a system used successfully for Euro 2004 qualifying would probably mean moving Gerrard out to the left and bringing in Nicky Butt, if fit, or Owen Hargreaves in the holding position.
MISSING DEFENDERS
At the back, Eriksson is still without his first-choice central defensive pairing of the injured Sol Campbell and suspended Rio Ferdinand.
However, he can have no complaints over youngster Ledley King's assured display or John Terry's commitment, which included hooking a certain goal for Austria off the line after David James rashly sprinted out of his area.
On a night the England keeper will want to forget, James admitted he was to blame for Austria's equaliser, allowing captain Andreas Ivanschitz's deflected shot to wriggle under his body.
That blunder, along with the bad luck of substitute Jermain Defoe's shot against the post in the closing minutes, summed up a scrappy performance in which England only played well in fits and starts.
They clearly need to move up a gear in Chorzow, where a Poland side who started their campaign with a 3-0 win over Northern Ireland will be hoping to add to Eriksson's growing worries.
