It's easy enough to take certain positives from Saturday's 1-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat in Ukraine.
Fabio Capello's England side acquitted themselves well after going down to ten men. Glenn Johnson looked very sharp going forward on the right wing, and defended more capably than in recent England games.
Wayne Rooney was his usual awkward self up front, and Frank Lampard looked dangerous in midfield. It's not as if the team fell apart at the seams.
Above all else, it's almost certainly a positive that England will arrive at the World Cup next year with a competitive defeat under their belts. For Netherlands and Spain to arrive with 100 per cent records in qualifying may be as much a hindrance as a help.
There's nothing wrong with the odd defeat to manage expectations: particularly where England, probably the most over-hyped team in world football, are concerned.
However, there is one major, glaring concern for England, and that is the form of Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand.
It's hard to imagine what went through his mind when he allowed that speculative punt upfield to bounce back over his head and towards the England penalty area at the Dnipro Arena.
The former West Ham man had looked well placed to clear the ball first time, but inexplicably stopped, committing a defensive error a pub team player would have been ashamed of. Let alone a first-choice centre-back in a side supposedly in contention to win the 2010 World Cup.
Once he'd let the ball bounce, he was painfully slow in getting back to deal with Artem Milevsky's run. The damage had been done.
It wasn't the only moment when Ferdinand looked worryingly off the pace, and as the player himself conceded before the game, if he can't improve his fitness and form before next summer, he may not even be on the plane at all.
For a man that Italy legend Franco Baresi said could become a better player than the AC Milan man ever was, it's a sorry state of affairs.
As captain, John Terry is the one player whose place is nailed down. But who will partner him in South Africa if Ferdinand doesn't improve?
Centre-back should be England's strongest position, but if Ferdinand does not halt his regression it will become a major headache for Capello.
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