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The hunch that the cavalry will ride to the rescue for the visit of Montenegro – who, coincidentally, are the last team to prevent England scoring at Wembley in 2010 – and Poland next month seems all too convenient and implausible on the evidence in Group H to date.

After all, Wayne Rooney scored in the draws in Warsaw and Podgorica but could not help the visitors over the line, and Danny Welbeck did not even make the starting line-up in the first of those fixtures.

The assumption that the availability after injury of Daniel Sturridge will be akin to flicking a switch represents a leap of faith, despite his form for Liverpool, because of his relative inexperience at international level.

England were resolute and rugged in the outset and fulfilled the criteria in Lineker’s first Tweet of the night when he had called for them to show their mettle. His ensuing disappointment, and that elsewhere, stemmed from the lack of overall improvement.

The sight of Frank Lampard playing the ball back to Phil Jagielka from the kick-off and the Everton defender pumping a 40-yard cross-field pass towards the right flank not only felt archaic, but led directly to the Ukraine move that saw Joe Hart survive a penalty appeal from Roman Zozulya.

Hodgson disagreed. “You’re going down the wrong route there for me,” he said, no pun intended.

“Did we play longer balls forward early? Yes, we did. That was a tactical change. We didn’t want to play out from the back and invite the pressure from a very strong pressurising team.

“But you’ve just seen us play against Moldova. If you are prepared to stand there and seriously say the England team that I’m coaching can’t keep the ball, can’t play from the back and through the midfield, there’s no point us having a conversation because we just totally disagree. You keep your opinion, I’ll keep mine.”

England did pass their way through Moldova in a comfortable 4-0 win at Wembley on Friday, but it is nonsense, and a dangerous dumbing-down in standards, to suggest that should be hailed as some sort of a benchmark.

In that sense, Hodgson does not help himself. In other respects, the situation is his problem but not his fault and that is why Lineker’s subsequent Tweets bent the truth.

There remains the problem of a dwindling pool of talent as emphasised by the continued reliance upon Theo Walcott and the idea that Carrick, who melted into the background when the heat was on in Montenegro in March, would make a major difference.

“We’re in a situation where there is a slight change taking place,” said Hodgson, aware that transition does not promote patience. “We’re lucky we’ve got some of the old guard still. But there are a lot of other players who haven’t got that experience.

“There’s a change going on so I’d be delighted if this group of players I believe so strongly in – because they really do show some fantastic qualities – can get to a World Cup. I shall be very happy and probably happier for them than the individual plaudit that I’ve been to the World Cup.

“[With Switzerland in] 1994 seems so long ago now I don’t even remember I was there. It might have all been a dream. Perhaps I dreamt it all.”

It is time for England to wake up to reality.