Gerrard, a former England captain, played alongside the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ashley Cole during his international career. While all enjoyed immensely successful club careers, major international tournaments regularly ended in disappointment, and they ultimately extended England’s wait for a major trophy, which has been ongoing since 1966.
“We were all egotistical losers,” Gerrard said. “I watch the telly now and I see Jamie Carragher sitting next to Paul Scholes and they look like they’ve been best mates for 20 years.
“And I see Carragher’s relationship with Gary Neville and they look like they’ve been mates for 20 years. I’m probably more close and friendly with you (Ferdinand) now than I ever was when I played with you for 15 years.
“So why didn’t we connect when we were 20, 21, 22, 23? Was it ego? Was it rivalry?
“It was down to the culture within England. We weren’t friendly or connected. We weren’t a team. We never at any stage became a real good, strong team.”
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Among Gerrard’s 114 caps for England, there was not a single semi-final at a major tournament. There were three quarter-finals – of which two ended in penalty shoot-out defeat to Portugal.
The former Liverpool midfielder, who won two FA Cup trophies, three League Cups and a UEFA Champions League with the Merseyside club, noted the difference he felt between club and international football at the time.
Speaking about England camps, Gerrard said: “I hated it. I didn’t enjoy it. Hated the (hotel) 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?
“There was no social media, we didn’t have a DVD player or anything. Channel 1 to 5 or whatever it was on TV. I used to get low and down.
“I used to love the games. I used to love playing for England. I was really proud. I used to enjoy the training sessions but it was 90 minutes a day. And then I was just on my own.
“I didn’t feel part of a team. I didn’t feel connected with my team-mates with England.
“I didn’t feel that with Liverpool. They were the best days of my life. 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.”
With the amount of talent in England’s ranks at the time, questions were often asked as to exactly how all the players could fit in the same team.
The most prominent example was in midfield. Gerrard, alongside Scholes and Frank Lampard possessed quality irresistable to not start in the same line-up.
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Gerrard suggested that in the system England played, forcing them in the same line-up was dysfunctional, but felt there was a way to get the best out of the three midfielders – who were performing to elite levels for their clubs at the time.
“If you play in the system that a lot of the coaches played, I think someone had to have the courage to say, well, Steven, it’s not you today, or Frank or Scholesy,” Gerrard said.
“Putting Scholesy on the left and me on the right or me on the left or asking one of us to be just a sitter takes a lot away from any of us.
“But I think we could have played together. I think we could have tactically been coached over a period of time for it to work because I believe we had the football IQ and intelligence to adapt and make it work together.”
