Steven Gerrard has delivered a damning assessment of England's "golden generation," labeling them "egotistical losers" who failed to live up to their potential due to club rivalries and an unfriendly environment. The former England captain, speaking on the "Rio Ferdinand Presents" podcast, admitted that he "hated" being away with the national squad.
Gerrard, who earned 114 caps for England and appeared in six major tournaments, highlighted the cliques that formed between players from Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea as a major obstacle to the team's success. Despite boasting a squad brimming with talent, including stars like David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney, England consistently underperformed in major tournaments, failing to progress beyond the quarter-finals.
"I think we were all egotistical losers," Gerrard confessed. He pointed to the camaraderie that now exists between these same players in their roles as pundits, questioning why they couldn't connect in the same way during their playing careers. "Why didn't we connect when we were 20, 21, 22, 23? Was it ego? Was it rivalry?".
Gerrard believes the issues ran deeper than just on-field tactical problems, such as the inability to find a system that effectively accommodated both him and Frank Lampard in midfield. He attributes the failure to a "culture within England" that prevented the players from truly connecting as a team. "All in our rooms too much. We weren't friendly or connected. We weren't a team," Gerrard explained. He also recalled feeling isolated and not part of a team during international duty. "It was like I didn't feel part of a team. I didn't feel connected with my team-mates with England".
He contrasted the environment of his time with the England squad to the culture fostered by Gareth Southgate, who managed the team to the final of the past two European Championships. "Gareth Southgate is underrated for how he connected with the England team," Gerrard said. After losing the Euro 2024 final Southgate stepped down, with Thomas Tuchel now in charge of England's hopes at next year's World Cup.
Gerrard also touched on his own managerial career, which has stalled after spells at Aston Villa and Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq. However, he expressed a desire to return to management, stating that he feels he has "unfinished business". "There's a part of me that still feels that there's a bit of unfinished business in terms of wanting to go in and face another couple of exciting challenges," Gerrard said.