Rio Ferdinand concedes Steven Gerrard had a point with his “egotistical losers” claim when discussing his thoughts on England’s failings during their time together with the Three Lions
Rio Ferdinand admits there “was some truth” in Steven Gerrard claiming their England generation were “egotistical losers” who failed to deliver on their talent during their major tournaments together.
They were touted as a ‘Golden Generation’ for the Three Lions, but ultimately failed to make it past a quarter-final at either the World Cup or the Euros between 2002 and 2006. On all three occasions it was Sven-Goran Eriksson who was in charge of England.
He had a squad that largely came from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. It meant leading lights like Gerrard, Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney had to put their club divides to one side for the national side.
That is something they all confess to struggling with given the state of their domestic rivalries. United, Chelsea and Arsenal all won the Premier League during the aforementioned period and Gerrard recently confessed their inability to put their egos aside made them a losing outfit.
Ferdinand concedes he had a point. He told The Times: “I think there was some truth in it. There were a multitude of reasons we didn’t succeed but it was one of the big factors. Our egos stemmed from wanting to be successful at our football clubs. We had to go back to Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsène Wenger or José Mourinho – big, powerful managers who created a dominant drive inside all of us that we had to win with our teams.
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“I liked hearing Stevie say what I felt. I’d be sitting across the table at lunch in the England camp looking at Stevie, knowing United have Liverpool in a couple of weeks, thinking, ‘I don’t even like you right now’. I felt the same at times about John Terry, Frank Lampard, or whoever we were fighting in the league. That was a detriment to England. There was no cohesiveness.
“That’s where I always give (Gareth) Southgate his props because he managed to change that. And our generation didn’t have social media, which I think brings players closer because they have more touch points with each other.”
Ferdinand’s England generation have all owned up to their parts in an underwhelming period. The Three Lions have since been able to move past that, an environment that has been credited to Southgate, with the ex-England boss taking the country close to glory.
Including the World Cup in 2018, England have made at least the semi-finals on three occasions. Twice they’ve been beaten finalists at the Euros.
Much has been made of how cohesive and together the England squad are, partly owing to a group of players that encompass individuals from more clubs.
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