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Such was the rough ride experienced during his brief tenure, few would blame Roy Hodgson for distancing himself from all things Anfield.

But when the England coach sought the men prepared to battle in Brazil, it was to his former club he turned most.

Even before Rickie Lambert bolstered the number to six with his pre-tournament arrival from Southampton, no club had ever before provided as many players for a Three Lions squad at the World Cup.

And for Steven Gerrard , Hodgson’s skipper both at Liverpool and England, it is the right choice in the wake of the Reds’ thrilling championship challenge.

“If Roy Hodgson picked four, five, six of the Liverpool players to go to the World Cup having had a great season, he’s going to be picking players full of confidence and really hungry to go and achieve something with England,” says Gerrard .

“I think that’s the key to this Liverpool team, you’ve got a great mix of young lads and experienced lads who are hungry to do well and that’s the mix you need going into a World Cup.

“You need players who want to go there to be successful, not players who want to go there and just enjoy being there.”

Gerrard speaks from experience, having played – and scored – in both the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the tournament in South Africa four years later.

While the likes of Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge are involved in a major tournament for the first time, Gerrard is well-versed with the unique pressures and at times tedium between games.

Hence the flurry of activity from players in recent days, the highlight of which was Gerrard’s introduction to Instagram that saw him gain 200,000 followers within barely 90 minutes.

“The days are quite long – you’re obviously training in the morning and then you’ve got a lot of time to kill,” he says.

“But these days everyone has iPads and movies and the internet and stuff like that, so compared to when I used to go away with England 12 years ago it’s a lot easier to fill your spare time.

“The manager lets you have nine holes of golf from time to time and if you’re in a country where there are places to go to see certain things as a life experience, you can get out of the hotel as well. The players have certainly got no excuses with boredom and time to kill, you’ve just got to manage it.”

Gerrard, speaking to thepfa.com, adds: “It’s tough missing your family, but what I’ve learned is that it’s better to go to these tournaments without your family.

“Some players are different but I see it as a bit of a distraction – no disrespect to Alex and the kids but after a long training session or a tough game I don’t want to be getting dragged from pillar to post having to entertain three kids.

“I feel as if my own form has been better when I’ve been out there on my own, you’ve only got to sacrifice six-to-eight weeks of your life and you’ve always got FaceTime and Skype to stay in touch with the family.”

Similarly difficult is England’s task of progressing from a group the latest FIFA rankings have determined is the toughest in the competition.

Hodgson’s men begin their campaign against Italy in Manaus next Saturday evening, after which they face Uruguay in Sao Paulo and Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte.

Gerrard, though, is focused only on the opening match and a modicum of revenge after England’s Euro 2012 campaign was halted by the Italians at the quarter-final stage.

“Any of the teams are capable of getting out of that group if they play well on the day, but for us I think the key is going to be that first game against Italy,” he says.

“Every team at the World Cup is going to be looking at their first game and getting a positive result because the confidence and belief you get from that first result can carry you through

“If we were to avoid defeat against Italy it would be a good result.”

For Gerrard, Brazil is almost certainly the last chance to appear in a World Cup finals. Only Peter Shilton and David Beckham have won more caps for England, with the latter’s total of 115 under threat should Hodgson’s side progress in the knockout stages in Brazil.

“At 15, 16 years of age my thoughts were to try and break into the Liverpool team, get in and around the squad, get a couple of games and see if I was capable of coping at that level,” says Gerrard.

“It happened really quickly where I broke into the team and stayed there and when I realised I felt comfortable that’s when I started to think ‘can I go to the next level and play for England?’.

“But if you’d have asked me at 16 years of age I never would’ve dreamed of getting 100 caps and more.

“Now I want to make the most of it till the end.

“Every single day you have to set certain standards and you can’t fall below them because you’ve got players ready to step into your shoes both at club and international level.

“When I meet up with England there’s a lot of young talent in the squad, they’re desperate for my place in the team and I don’t want to give it up too easily.”

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