"Whereas when I'm looking at some of the top teams, I can see relationships and I can see a bond a little bit," said Pardew.
The right side of the defensive line remained the biggest point of concern for the English squad.
"Well, I think we've got problems, but obviously, we have an issue at right-back," said Pardew.
The structural cracks threatened to derail England's tournament progress against a highly motivated opposition.
"But when you look at the relationships in a group, in a team, a good team, then you can start seeing some cracks in our team," said Pardew.
Pardew concluded that England faced a narrow path to victory unless their defensive communication improved immediately.
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"I think our team are either on the verge of squeezing through on penalties [against DR Congo], which we could possibly do, or actually, getting really turned over, which I think is a possibility," said Pardew.
