Richard Sutcliffe: Crisis avoided but questions still remain for Capello's boys

With due apologies to Jim Callaghan, the South African winter of discontent that England seemed destined to remember 2010 for is over. For now.

The 1-0 win over Slovenia means Fabio Capello's squad have avoided the ignominy of becoming the first from these shores to be knocked out in the group stage of a World Cup since 1958.

No doubt, the serial under-achievers that sport the Three Lions will believe the last laugh is theirs thanks to the critics who have spent the last few days writing off England's chances being proved wrong. Job done.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, England are no closer to winning the World Cup than they were at 3pm yesterday.

Okay, a place in the knockout stages has been secured. But anyone believing that, on the strength of Jermain Defoe's well-taken winner, England have turned the corner needs to take a step back from the relief that a second round tie in Bloemfontein on Sunday has been secured.

England beat Slovenia.

A team so new to the international stage that, during the build-up to the final game of Group C, FIFA committed the faux pas of mistaking Slovenia for another country – world football's governing body having sent translators fluent in English, Italian and Slovak but not Slovenian to the pre-match press conference.

Matjaz Kek's side are also ranked 25th in the world, while their players hail from such footballing hotspots as Auxerre and Wislaw Krakow.

Basically, a team who, before the tournament got underway, England were expected to sweep aside with ease. However, by yesterday, it seemed the Slovenians had taken on the aura of Brazil or Argentina.

With only a victory likely to be enough, Capello made two changes to go with the enforced replacement of the suspended Jamie Carragher by Matthew Upson. Namely, Jermain Defoe came in for Emile Heskey as one son of Leeds, James Milner, replaced another, Aaron Lennon.

Starting with Defoe was a major risk. His goal tally going into the game stood at a commendable 11, but this covered a six-year period and included five in three appearances during the middle of last year.

Defoe's last goal had, in fact, come against Slovenia last September when Capello's men triumphed 2-1 in a friendly.

In the following Monday's Yorkshire Post, the headline accompanying my match report read: "Work clearly still left to be done if England are to emerge as contenders."

Nine months on and ahead of kick-off in a game that was suggested could be the manager's last if the result went against England, those words seemed even more appropriate. And with yesterday being Capello's 13th game in charge, the omens did not seem promising. Thankfully, he got the big decisions right with Upson impressing in defence and Milner crossing for Defoe to finish in clinical fashion.

What happens from here, no-one knows. Germany stand in England's way on Sunday, while finishing second means Argentina now loom large in a possible quarter-final tie.

One thing for certain, however, is that there will have to be a big improvement if the Three Lions are to make any tangible impact on this World Cup. Certainly, Capello must be sweating on just how his first foray into international management turns out.

Callaghan never did utter the, 'Crisis, what crisis?' words that he is most remembered for. Instead, it was a headline dreamed up by someone at The Sun newspaper that was subsequently splashed across the front page.

Even so, the phrase immediately came to neatly surmise the period and was a major factor in Callaghan's Labour administration being ousted from office in 1979.

Yesterday's win over Slovenia means a similar fate for Capello and his players has been postponed. The question is, for how long?