STEVEN GERRARD knows England are now “clutching at straws” after a defeat to Uruguay which leaves them staring down the barrel of a World Cup group exit for the first time in 56 years.

There had been much positivity despite Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Italy in the heat and humidity of the Amazon given the way Roy Hodgson’s men had equipped themselves, but there was no such honour in the loss to Uruguay.

Luis Suarez exposed England’s brittle defence, punishing mistakes to render Wayne Rooney’s first World Cup goal worthless.

It leaves England teetering dangerously over the precipice, with Gerrard all too aware that their exit will be confirmed should Italy and Costa Rica draw their Group D meeting today.

“Italy are a fantastic team and capable of winning both games but we’re clutching at straws,” the Three Lions captain said.

“The position we’re in is the position we didn’t want to be in coming into the tournament, relying on other people’s results.

It’s very difficult at the moment.

“We’ll have to wait and see what happens in tomorrow’s fixture. The manager will have to wait and see what happens before deciding what he is going to do.

“If there’s nothing to play for then I don’t know if he’ll play a completely different team. But it’s a very tough moment, at this moment.”

Even if Italy’s match with Costa Rica does not end in a draw, progression will still be out of England’s hands.

They are on the brink and Gerrard could not hide his frustration at their inability to hold onto the point they would have earned with Rooney’s 75th-minute leveller.

“It is frustrating,” he said. “We never managed the game well enough when we got the equaliser.

“We can’t give chances to Luis Suarez because he buries them from that position.

“It’s a really tough moment for everyone in the dressing room but we need to be professional, keep fighting and pray for that scoreline to go for us.

“[We are] sort of frustrated because looking at the two games and how we have performed we sort of deserve something out of either one of them if not both of them.’’