Fabio Capello is in the spotlight like never before after former skipper John Terry laid bare the divisions that have ripped England apart.
If reports a planned attempt to air grievances at a team meeting in Rustenburg last night had to be scrapped are true, it represents a forcible confirmation of Capello's authority and a weakening of Terry's position.
However, such was the candid manner with which the former captain had already opened up on the rising tensions ahead of Wednesday's make-or-break final Group C encounter with Slovenia, it is difficult to see how unity can be restored.
"Maybe the togetherness has been missing at times," said Terry.
"When things don't go well it is important the group stays together.
"Usually everyone goes straight back to their room and stays there until the following morning. But on Friday, for the first time since the manager took over, he let us have a beer.
"We had one each, nothing more than that, and seven or eight of us sat there talking about the game. It was good to get things off our chest and express how we felt."
Terry was clearly under the impression he had been given a mandate to act, claiming during his media briefings that he was "speaking on behalf of the lads".
"We are in a meeting with the manager, whether he starts it or finishes it, the players can say how they feel and if it upsets him then I'm on the verge of just saying: 'You know what? So what? I'm here to win it for England'," he said.
"If we can't be honest with each other there is no point being here.
"It has worked in the past at Chelsea. We have a responsibility to ourselves, the manager and everyone else to voice an opinion and hope he takes it on board."
Although Terry's comments undermined Capello, they also served as a rallying cry for a campaign that could yet be dragged out of the gutter if England can secure a win against Slovenia on Wednesday that would confirm their passage into the last 16.
"I certainly felt there was a lack of passion," he said.
"On paper we are a much better team than Algeria but there was no tackling, no-one winning headers, no-one winning second balls.
"It was not acceptable. You have to show a bit of aggression and a bit of fight.
"No player had that fire in their belly. I can assure everyone it is going to be there against Slovenia."
But the words were spoken on the assumption that Capello was going to listen.
As the Italian is clearly his own man, Terry at least is going to have to put his irritations to one side unless he is to return home this week part of an utterly humiliated squad.