If any England fans believed that dropping Wayne Rooney would solve all of the national team’s problems at once, Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia in Ljubljana was the proof that there are plenty of other issues for Gareth Southgate to address if he is to earn the manager’s job on a permanent basis.

Southgate’s decision to exclude Rooney cannot have come as a surprise to anyone who has seen him at Manchester United over the past 18 months or so. But for an upturn in form in January, his club form has been consistently off the mark for too long, with only his record-breaking spell for England rescuing his reputation to any noticeable extent.

But the fall-out from Saturday’s laboured victory over Malta was dominated by Rooney’s inability to win over a section of the England supporters, and the build-up to Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier was all about what the absence of the 117-cap skipper might do for the rest of the side.

The answer is that Rooney’s inclusion or otherwise is just the first of many questions for Southgate to resolve. Joe Hart’s four key saves, including one particularly magnificent reaction block early in the second half, were testament to how much England struggled, but they were often architects of their own downfall.

The lack of quality in the final third was quite stark. Daniel Sturridge’s innate ability to find a Slovenia shirt was one of the stand-out features of the first half in particular, and his decision-making will be one of the greatest talking points to take from this fixture.

Elsewhere, Theo Walcott turned in the performance of a man eight years beyond his single outstanding international performance, while Jesse Lingard, a player who has started on the left only four times in his Premier League career – and even then has largely been switched to the right during the course of games – looked out of place on that flank for a second successive England game.

It said it all that, despite England’s possession, they seemed to make more chances for Slovenia than for themselves. Roman Bezjak should have done better when Eric Dier’s blind back-pass ended 10 yards nearer the striker than its intended target Hart. The goalkeeper’s reactions briefly got his side out of a hole, although Jasmin Kurtic hit the post from the loose ball and Bezjak’s poor finish ultimately let the Three Lions off the hook.

The lack of real zest about England’s performance could have caught them out again straight after the break. Walcott’s slashed right-footed clearance on his left side led to a Slovenia corner from which Hart made an excellent save at his near post. He followed that up with a world-class reaction stop high to his left from Kurtic’s header.

“Best one in a while. I was asked to do quite a bit, but that was down to a few errors from us,” Hart told ITV afterwards when asked whether he’d just turned in his greatest England performance, and that was not his last important intervention. Another sloppy pass, this time from Jordan Henderson, let in Josip Ilicic only for Hart to save his team-mates once more.

England ended the game frustrated but fortunate. Gary Cahill could have seen red for a studs-baring challenge which brought him only a yellow card, while Lingard got involved in a pushing match which summed up the feelings of the visiting camp.

Rooney did get to earn his 118th international cap as a late substitute but there was to be no late reprieve. This was a draw they barely deserved, but one from which they can learn a multitude of lessons. Whether Southgate can do exactly that and make changes accordingly will be a deciding factor when it comes to a new England manager being appointed. Dropping Rooney was just the first of his tasks.