Fabio Capello is clinging to the improved fitness of Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney as a reason to be cheerful for England's disgruntled fans.

For the first time at Wembley on Wednesday night, coach Capello heard what reaction awaits when he gets it wrong.

The sound of boos and jeers was a familiar refrain during his predecessor Steve McClaren's time in charge - so familiar it could have been billed as part of the game itself.

No one, least of all Capello, expected to hear such noises quite so early in his tenure - at a point where his England are yet to play a competitive game.

But it is an often repeated phrase that England do not play friendlies - and the performance last night impressed no one.

Harry Redknapp, overlooked as coach and therefore free to express his views, offered the weight of being a successful Premier League manager to boot.

"Diabolical - one of the worst performances I have seen from an England team," was the Portsmouth boss' verdict.

In wondering what the reaction would have been like had McClaren been in charge, Redknapp raised an unpalatable truth.

Maybe it is not the coach - or manager - at all. Maybe it is the players, or at least the club-based structure of the English game.

Will John Terry and Frank Lampard be so ineffective for Chelsea at Wigan on Sunday as they were last night? Doubtful. Will David James, one of Redknapp's own players, make the same hair-brained dash from his penalty area? Unlikely.

These familiar faults will not be resolved before England face Croatia in Zagreb in three weeks' time, when defeat would leave Capello's team struggling to claim the one automatic qualifying place on offer.

At least Gerrard and Rooney will be fitter, benefiting from more match time after recent absences.

"Rooney and Gerrard are not in perfect condition physically at the moment," said Capello.

"That will be very important.

"The movement of Rooney and the work he does in every game is very important for me."

Yet Capello seems no nearer getting the best out of Rooney than he was when he took the job.

Emile Heskey managed it for Michael Owen, but it would be a leap of faith to think Wigan's main man can do the same for his Manchester United counterpart.

While Jermain Defoe has shown glimpses of international quality during a rare three-game run as a starter, he could not be selected alongside Rooney with any confidence either.

Capello has insisted he did not play Gerrard on the left-hand side of midfield against the Czechs. But Redknapp certainly thought so - and whether the Liverpool captain did or not, the role he was given is not one he was suited to.

It points to Rooney being played up front on his own against the Croats, when a draw for England would be regarded as a good result. But Capello appears to have discarded the idea, which really creates a problem.

"When we play against a team that waits and passes, then counter-attacks, it is not easy to score goals," said the Italian.

"We suffered on every counter-attack."

If the Italian has issues to address in all areas of the field, it is little wonder the England fans are starting to get worried.

Yet Capello seems quite relaxed about the situation, picking out areas of positive development those watching the game might have struggled to see.

"We played good football in the first half," he said.

"I wanted to play in a certain way because I wanted to know exactly what the problems were.

"It was important to see the reaction of the team in the last minute, and overall I am quite happy. I think we have taken another step."

With neither Owen Hargreaves nor Owen - who might not have been picked anyway - likely to be fit ahead of the Croatia game, and the Andorra one that precedes it, the only changes will probably involve Dean Ashton and possibly Peter Crouch.

Therefore Capello has plenty of thinking to do as he works out his strategy for the game that could define his entire tenure.

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