What were the key questions raised by England's goalless draw with Slovakia?

Is failing to win Group B such a disaster?

No, not really. It’s certainly an improvement on the last World Cup, when England crashed out at the group stage without winning a game, and two of the last four winners at a European Championships could only finish second in their group (Greece in 2004 and France in 2000).

England have been criticised in the past for not being a ‘good tournament team’, so the negativity that has accompanied a reasonably trouble-free qualification this time around seems somewhat over the top. They’re through, and ultimately that is what counts.

Their failure to win the group has undoubtedly made things more difficult though, both in terms of prospective opponents and tournament logistics. While Wales will take on a third-placed team in Paris on Saturday, England must decamp to Nice to take on the runners-up in Group F on Monday night. That could be Portugal, which would stir uncomfortable memories of Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, but is more likely to be Hungary or Iceland.

Win that, and England will head back to Paris for a quarter-final against either France or a third-placed side on July 3. Taking on the hosts in the Stade de France would be quite an occasion – but in footballing terms, it would also be a significant challenge.

Did Roy Hodgson get his team selection wrong?

Much of the criticism for Monday’s failure to beat Slovakia has been directed at Hodgson’s starting line-up. On the back of a morale-boosting win over Wales, the England boss opted to make six changes for a game that was always going to determine his side’s route through the rest of the tournament.

Two – Jamie Vardy for Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge for Raheem Sterling – were to be expected given the way in which England overhauled Wales during the second half in Lens. The others, however, felt like change for change’s sake.

There was no need to rotate the two full-backs, who had impressed in England’s opening two games, and the decision to ‘rest’ Wayne Rooney seemed especially misguided. The skipper is still coming to terms with his new midfield role, and has always been someone who benefits from a run of matches.

If nothing else, Hodgson’s team selection sent out entirely the wrong message. It felt as though England believed they had already got the job done, and were focused on the future instead of concentrating on the task in hand.

Who played their way out of the team for future matches?

Jack Wilshere for a start. The Arsenal midfielder made just one start in the whole of last season, and looked like a player scrambling around for form. Hodgson regards him as England’s best passer, but it is hard to imagine him starting again.

Ryan Bertrand wasn’t awful at left-back, but he had a couple of shaky defensive moments and didn’t look as accomplished going forward as Danny Rose had in the Wales game in particular.

Jordan Henderson’s limitations were also evident, with the Wearsider starting reasonably strongly but quickly fading once the Slovakian defence realised he wasn’t going to take the ball past them. Like Wilshere, that might be his chance of holding down a starting spot gone.

Ross Barkley hasn’t kicked a ball in the tournament yet, so it can hardly be said that he’s played himself out of the team. His lack of involvement on Monday suggests he’s probably not going to play though, so why did Hodgson take him to France? Might Andros Townsend’s natural width have been a better option?  

Is the change of format now having a negative effect on the competition?

While England have been criticised for their inability to turn their plentiful possession into a goal, at least they were actively trying to win the game. Slovakia were painfully negative, and while defensive qualities are not to be sniffed at, this shouldn’t be the type of game plan UEFA is looking to promote.

In years gone by, when only two teams qualified from each group, Slovakia would have been forced to adopt a more positive approach as they would have had to win the game to progress.

Instead, with three points already in the bag, Jan Kozak’s side could afford to play for a draw, knowing that four points will almost certainly see them progress as one of the best third-placed sides.

The fear that an expanded tournament would result in a series of mismatches has not been realised, but the fact that most third-placed teams qualify acts as an incentive for lower-ranked sides to be extremely cautious if they already have points on the board.

So who will start when England return to action in Nice?

Whereas the Wales game seemed to provide some clarity in terms of England’s optimal approach, Monday’s stalemate has taken Hodgson back to square one.

Jamie Vardy struggled against a well-drilled defence happy to sit deep, while Daniel Sturridge was fairly ineffective as he looked to cut in from the right-hand side. That could well mean Hodgson reverting to Harry Kane as a central striker, particularly if England end up against Hungary or Iceland.

Rooney and Dele Alli will return to play in front of Eric Dier, so with Sterling surely having no way back after two dismal performances, perhaps Vardy and Adam Lallana will play on either side of Kane.

Rose and Kyle Walker will return in the full-back berths, with Gary Cahill and Chris Smalling continuing alongside each other after three solid displays. In other words, for all the ups and downs of the last three matches, we’ll pretty much be back to the side that started against Russia.