Defenders such as Gary Neville, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole. A midfield that you can fill with, for example, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole and Paul Scholes. And strikers like Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. Despite all those great names, England actually never performed properly in a final round in their time.
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According to Gerrard, that was not the talent of the team, but the cohesion. Or better about the lack thereof. “In my opinion there was a big problem in England: I think we were all selfish losers,” says the former midfielder.
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville
It is particularly disturbed by him that some of the rival egos of the time can now get along well with each other and he points to Carragher, for example, with whom he played at Liverpool for years. “If I now see Charragher sitting next to Scholes on TV, they look like they’ve been best friends for twenty years. The same applies to Carragher’s relationship with Neville.”
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It is striking that Gerrard makes these statements in the podcast of his former archer rival of Manchester United, Rio Ferdinand. He also mentions that irony himself. “I am probably more friendly to you now than I ever was when I played with you with the national team for 15 years.”
“Why didn’t we have a bond when we were in the early 20? Was it egoism? Was it rivalry? Why are we all mature enough now and in a phase of our lives that we are closer and more connected?”, Gerrard asks himself. “I think it was due to the culture within the selection. We were not friendly or connected. We were not a team.”
England versus Liverpool
Although Gerrard says he always thought it was an honor to come out for his country, he does indicate that he The Three Lions Never felt at ease as at Liverpool. “It was as if I didn’t feel part of the team. I didn’t feel connected to my teammates. It was never that way with Liverpool, that always felt like the best days of my life.”