NO manager, no permanent captain, no striker in the squad with an international goal to his name.

Does that mean England have no hope of success in this summer's European Championships in Poland and Ukraine? Not necessarily. Although they will certainly have to improve their defending if they are not to be embarrassed in four months time.

A night that heralded Stuart Pearce's arrival into international management looked like ending in humiliation as England conceded two slack goals in two minutes to Dutch duo Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

They displayed commendable spirit to level with two goals of their own in the final five minutes of normal time courtesy of Gary Cahill and Ashley Young, but then undid all of that good work by switching off again in stoppage time.

Robben picked up the ball on the right edge of the area, and with defenders backing off him for the second time of the night, the Bayern Munich winger curled past Joe Hart with the aid of a deflection off Cahill.

In truth, the win was no more than Holland deserved, such was their superiority for much of the game. The likes of Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge provided fleeting glimpses of their ability, but while England's old guard have surely had sufficient chances to prove their worth in a major tournament, there remain serious questions about a new generation's ability to hold their own at international level.

Transition is never easy, and this summer could yet prove a chastening experience for the England team and its supporters.

The first task is to select a manager for Euro 2012, and last night's game was hardly a ringing endorsement of Pearce's credentials.

The former Newcastle full-back's first major act as manager was to award Scott Parker the captain's armband, and while the Tottenham midfielder was a deserved recipient following his recent selection as England Player of the Year for 2011, quite where this leaves Steven Gerrard is open to debate.

Gerrard would surely have expected to replace John Terry as skipper, and while the Liverpool midfielder's first-half departure was injury-related, his mental state will now be the subject of considerable conjecture in the next few months. With so few world-class players, Pearce, or whoever succeeds him, can ill afford to turn Gerrard against the international cause.

Regardless of who is in charge for England's opening game of the European Championships against France, last night's game also provided a stark illustration of other challenges that lie in wait.

The attacking cupboard is effectively bare, with Wayne Rooney certain to miss the opening two matches of the tournament through suspension and Darren Bent unlikely to feature in Ukraine after damaging his ankle ligaments.

Last night's triumvirate of Welbeck, Sturridge and Sunderland's Fraizer Campbell, who made his debut as a second-half substitute, is probably as good as it is going to get.

England's defence is no more settled, with huge question marks over John Terry and Rio Ferdinand's right to a place in the starting line-up.

Neither was in the squad yesterday, so it was Chris Smalling's chance to stake a claim for a back-four spot alongside Cahill, who appears to have climbed to the top of the pecking order through a process of elimination rather than anything he has done in an England shirt. Neither looked particularly solid.

On paper at least, England should not face a side of Holland's calibre at the group stage of Euro 2012, and it is surely just as well.

Parker was forced into two desperate challenges inside the opening 20 minutes to keep the scoreline blank, and while the tackles confirmed the new skipper's resolve, they underlined England's position on the back foot.

Hart was also called into action before the half-hour mark, parrying a fierce drive from Robben. At the other end, Maarten Stekelenburg, was not forced to make a meaningful save until the start of the second half, although he might have been tested had Adam Johnson's first-half shot not taken a hefty deflection off John Heitinga.

Gerrard's 33rd-minute departure heralded the arrival of Sturridge, who has been one of the few success stories at Chelsea this season. While it was not really a night for anyone to make startling headlines, the 22-year-old at least did his cause no harm.

The quality of his movement caught the eye, and he almost broke the deadlock four minutes after the break, drilling in a crisp low drive that Stekelenburg did well to parry.

The less said about his effort 18 minutes from time the better though, with Sturridge tamely rolling Leighton Baines' cross into Stekelenburg's arms despite being all alone on the edge of the six-yard box.

By that stage, of course, England were two behind. Despite being largely contained until the 57th minute, Robben displayed the verve the hosts were lacking to break the deadlock.

He was assisted by some dreadful defending, with England's players backing off him entirely after he picked up a loose ball in his own half. Cahill was especially culpable, and after dribbling towards the edge of the area, Robben drilled a crisp low drive past Hart.

It did not take long for one goal to become two, with Dutch substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar doubling his side's lead within a minute of Robben's strike.

Again, England's defending left a lot to be desired, with Huntelaar stealing between Cahill and Smalling to head home Dirk Kuyt's cross. The goal witnessed a sickening clash of heads between Huntelaar and Smalling, an incident that ended both players' participation.

England did not really respond until the final five minutes. First, Baines' through ball pierced the Dutch defences and found Cahill, who displayed impressive composure to slot home.

England fashioned an unlikely equaliser in the 90th minute, with Young clipping the ball over Stekelenburg after a slick through ball from Phil Jones.

That looked like securing a draw, but Holland claimed the victory their overall dominance deserved less than two minutes later, with Robben cutting inside Baines to curl home.