Former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has confessed that he hated being part of the England squad during his playing days, while lauding former team-mate Gareth Southgate for the cultural shift he later implemented as manager. Gerrard earned 114 senior caps for the Three Lions, playing in front of Southgate on several occasions, but the atmosphere was markedly different then compared to now.
His first cap came in May 2000, with his debut tournament appearance following shortly afterwards at that summer’s European Championships. He remained a key figure in the England team until the World Cup in 2014, leading the side in losses against Italy and Uruguay. However, the ex-midfielder maintains that his international career paled in comparison to the euphoric highs he experienced with his childhood club.
During a guest spot on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Gerrard was asked about his experiences within the England camp. His response was candid.
“I hated it, I didn’t enjoy it,” he said. “Hated the rooms. In my early days, I’d have days where I was down, like low down. Like, I’m in this room for seven hours, what am I going to do?”
However, Gerrard clarified that his issue wasn’t with playing for England itself. He added: “I used to love the games. I used to love playing for England. Really proud. I used to enjoy the training sessions but it was 90 minutes a day.
“And then I was just on my own in London or in… Romania or wherever. And I was thinking, I’m in this room from now till I have half an hour dinner, then till the next day. It was like I didn’t feel part of a team. I didn’t feel connected with my teammates with England.
“I didn’t feel that with Liverpool. They were the best days of my life. When I used to go abroad to Liverpool or I used to go to an away game with Liverpool, I felt part of a team.
“I felt like the staff looked over me, like I felt special. I felt like I couldn’t wait to get there. With England, I just wanted the games and the training sessions and then to be away.”
Gerrard devoted nearly his entire playing career to Liverpool, departing only for a short period with LA Galaxy in his final years.
He featured in over 700 matches for the Reds, securing Champions League glory in 2005 and reaching another final in the competition two years later.
On the international stage, he led England as captain during the 2010 and 2014 World Cups as well as Euro 2012.
The Three Lions never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage of any major tournament whilst he wore the armband, though they have since achieved greater success under Southgate’s leadership with consecutive European Championship finals.
“I think Gareth Southgate is underrated for how he connected with the England team,” Gerrard added. “Because for me, the talent was there. The players were there.
“The level of games we were all playing at was there to go and do better than what we did. I think we had a little bit of bad luck with the penalties or whatever.
“We have to take responsibility, but I’ve got a big frustration when I look back at England that we never did better. I think it’s a combination of different things.
“One of the big things for me was we weren’t a team. We were a group of individuals with talent and it never works like that.”
