Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger feels that defeat to France in England's opening Euro2012 fixture will heap even more pressure on the national team.
England go into the Group D opener in Donetsk on Monday without star striker Wayne Rooney, who is out due to suspension, and Frenchman Wenger is of firm belief that a negative result for the Three Lions may affect their whole tournament.
"Why? Not because you cannot catch-up, but (because) the pressure inside the country becomes tremendous straight away.
"That game could dictate the whole group. If it's a 0-0 draw, the group is all open, but if someone loses they have a very good chance of going out because Ukraine will beat one of the two, you would say, and Sweden are a hard team to beat."
He added: "England have no Rooney, they have a new manager (Roy Hodgson) and they have not worked together so... it's a quick fix.
"Can it work or not? The first game will be a good indication.
"England do have an advantage as Hodgson has managed national teams before, has good experience of tournaments and knows the English players well. It's not unknown territory (for him).
"At the moment England struggle to find confidence and unity and if he can manage to do that he can do very well.""The opening game is England v France and there is no Rooney. You would say that is a game that you cannot afford to lose," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.