Steven Gerrard has previously admitted that the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United created an awkward dynamic in the England dressing room.
Gerrard won 114 caps for England, making him the fourth-most capped player for the Three Lions, behind Peter Shilton, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham. The midfielder was a key player for his country for 14 years, but failed to help England win any silverware.
England struggled under the burden of expectation during the reigns of Sven Goran Eriksson, Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson. And Gerrard has suggested the reason might be the strength of the club rivalries.
Speaking at a Steven Gerrard Live event in Belfast in 2017, the former Liverpool captain was asked about becoming friends with ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand after retiring. He told the audience: "When you're lining up in the tunnel against Rio and Gary Neville you want to do everything in your power to beat them – there's hatred there, that's exactly how it is.
"When you meet up for England at that time, you pretend you like them – but your career finishes, their career finishes and your friendship starts for real. I've got nothing but respect for Rio as a player, played for a top club all his life, he's a good fella as well, I'm enjoying the role at BT [Sport] with him as well."
Ferdinand made a similar point in an interview with the Times magazine in 2018: “It overshadowed things. It killed that England team, that generation.
"One year we would have been fighting Liverpool to win the league, another year it would be Chelsea. So I was never going to walk into the England dressing room and open up to Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, John Terry or Joe Cole at Chelsea, or Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher at Liverpool because of the fear they would take something back to their club and use it against us.
“I didn't realise that what I was doing was hurting England at the time. I was so engrossed, so obsessed with winning with Man United. Nothing else mattered.'”
Lampard agreed with those characterisations – and the England trio’s thoughts actively influenced Gareth Southgate. The England manager has been keen to ensure club rivalries don’t undermine his work.
He explained in 2018 : “We have listened to some compelling interviews from Frank and Rio and Steven and we used that to say ‘okay, we have to make sure we put those club situations to one side.’
“I don’t think there is that intense rivalry between our top clubs that there was then. But this is a group that is young enough to be interested in doing a lot of things together.
“Most of them have come through the youth system with England together so they are used to being at St George’s together. That’s not a hardship for them. We are nothing to do with the past. The past can inform us and help us, but shouldn’t shape us.”
