Roy Hodgson seems to be making it up as he goes along at Euro 2016... Finishing behind Wales was embarrassing to the FA, he must get a grip or risk losing his job

Is Roy Hodgson making this up as he goes along? The absence of a clear plan, and a clear idea of his team, would suggest so.

Three games into this tournament, with a possible match against Portugal to come in Nice on Monday — not to mention the prospect of France in the quarter-finals — and still Hodgson appears uncertain of the best way forward.

'We will have to decide what our best system is,' he declared after seeing his side stumble into the last 16 with an impotent display against Slovakia. 'I have the headache of trying to decide which strikeforce we are going to use. We have a clear idea of the players we'd like to play and we'll have to wait and see in Nice.'

Roy Hodgson leaves the Saint-Etienne pitch after watching his England side draw 0-0 with Slovakia

Wayne Rooney reacts to another missed chance during a frustrating night for the Three Lions at Euro 2016

Eric Dier and England could only finish second behind Wales in Group B, an embarrassment for the FA

No wonder the FA hierarchy are increasingly of the view that Hodgson's third tournament will be his last unless he can navigate his way to the semi-finals. No wonder they left the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard aghast at Hodgson's decision to take such a huge gamble, his omission of Wayne Rooney the most staggering move of all.

Finishing second in the group is an embarrassment for the FA when their Welsh counterparts are relative paupers in the international football community. Only the other day their chief executive was seen keeping costs down by eating at a popular fast-food chain.

More serious is the fact that England's failure to score against Slovakia leaves them facing a more daunting route to the latter stages and, should they now come unstuck, it will be used in evidence against Hodgson when it comes to whether he stays on for the 2018 World Cup.

Last Sunday outgoing FA chairman Greg Dyke told the BBC that a gallant, stylish defeat by decent opposition might be enough to keep Hodgson at Wembley. Now, however, it will take more than that if the opposition happen to be France.

The Three Lions now face a potential game against Portugal in the last 16 and France in the quarter-finals

Hodgson appears to be making up his strategy for Euro 2016 as he goes along and needs to make his mind up

FA chairman Greg Dyke, pictured right with Prince William, has suggested Hodgson needs to take England to the semi-finals or a good performance in quarter-final defeat to a big nation to get an contract extension

It would be considered Hodgson's fault that England were playing the hosts in the first place. To extend his stay at the helm by another two years, Hodgson has to beat the French in their own backyard.

Based on the evidence so far, his chances would appear remote. But Hodgson did his best to gloss over the disappointing situation, even attempting to diminish the importance of finishing first in the group when less than 48 hours earlier he had been happy to acknowledge the advantage of qualifying as Group B winners.

Nobody pays much attention to the FIFA rankings but Hodgson presented them as part of his defence on Monday night. 

'I am not convinced the opponents you get as a third-placed team are easier than a second-placed team,' he said. 'Let's wait and see the Fifa ranking of the team we get.'

Right now France are ranked six places below England, so on that basis the FA would take an even dimmer view of defeat by Didier Deschamps' team. Lose to an inferior team? Curtains for sure.

The only consolation is the extra two days Hodgson has to prepare; two more days than the team they meet from Group F on Monday. It will give Hodgson and his coaches more time to figure things out, even if he did eventually declare he knew his best side after all. 'I know what team I am going to play next week if they are all fit,' he said.

Early indications suggest he will return to Harry Kane, a player who appeared to be England's principle striker, only to be axed. It would seem a safe bet that he will restore Kyle Walker and Danny Rose to the full back positions and Rooney and Dele Alli to midfield. Unlike Jack Wilshere, Jordan Henderson played very well on Monday night.

Jamie Vardy's place in the starting line-up is up for debate ahead of the last-16 game in Nice on Monday

Harry Kane could well be restored to the England side while Jordan Henderson impressed against Slovakia

'I never have regrets after results if the team have played well,' he insisted. 'I would maybe have had regrets if we hadn't dominated the game and played well. I might have had regrets if Jordan Henderson and Nathaniel Clyne were not candidates for man of the match.

'I would have had a few regrets if I had given Walker and Danny Rose, who work unbelievably hard, another game on the bounce and they had got injured. That would have been something to regret. I am facing people here who are going to be very critical because we didn't win.'

It is the selection of his forwards that presents the biggest puzzle, with the choice between Kane, Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge complicated by the fact that their form is less than convincing.

'That could be a headache we have to deal with,' admitted Hodgson. 

Daniel Sturridge scored the winner against Wales but his form has been unconvincing since that match

'All of them have shown a lot of qualities but none of them as yet has shown they are able to score the goals we need. At the end of the day momentum is not based on performance but on results.'

He was corrected at that moment by an FA mandarin, who suggested he meant to say momentum was based on performance. 

'Well, momentum can come from a lot of things,' replied Hodgson. The momentum, he then suggested, would be with England should they meet Portugal.

'We beat them at Wembley a few weeks ago and they have only taken two points from their games so far,' he said. 'We have seen in this tournament that it is not names and reputations, it is what teams do on the field.

'If it is Portugal, it is Portugal. I know one thing, I would rather play Portugal in the round of 16 than not be in the round of 16.'

Hodgson remains optimistic about his side's chances, regardless of their opponents in the next round