The hard work starts now for England after sealing qualification to next summer's World Cup, insists Steve Howey.
Harry Kane's 94th-minute goal gave Gareth Southgate's side a tame 1-0 victory over Slovenia at Wembley on Thursday evening, meaning qualification to the tournament in Russia.
But Howey, watching the game on Sky Sports News, says there was a lack of sparkle about England, and insists Southgate now must work hard to install an attacking style and more mental strength.
"At times it was pretty pedestrian, pretty slow, I didn't see much urgency or zip. The most important aim, and your task at the start of qualifying is to qualify, and that's what we've done.
"It's one thing playing Slovenia at home, and your goalkeeper is man of the match. That just shows how poor England were.
"It wasn't sparkling. Gareth will look at that and ask what we can do better, and there's an awful lot. I think the hard work has to start now for them.
"He'd been asked to make sure England qualify. He's done that. You can't say he's done a poor job in any way.
"What needs to happen now, he needs to sit the squad down and give the squad some hard truths. We can't have too many performances or any at all really, like that tonight. If we can do that, we're taking a step forward.
"Too many times in the past we have qualified easily, and we've found it difficult to break better teams down.
"We seem to qualify, and then massively underperform. I think it's vitally important, as long as the lads stay fit, to play games against good quality teams. Let them see who we are, let them see what we're all about, not just at Wembley."
Former defender Howey, who earned four England caps in the 1990s, praised match-winner Kane, who had a quiet evening other than his goal.
"He is a player at this particular moment who has to be the best in Europe. His goal scoring has been phenomenal, and it's the types of goals he scores too, a whole range of goals.
"Your top quality strikers, a defender will feel he's done enough for 90 minutes to keep them quiet, and if you switch off for a minute and he scores the goal.
"That's what the top quality strikers are all about."
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