The Liverpool player came out of international retirement when he was selected by England manager Fabio Capello for last year's World Cup campaign in South Africa. He once again went into international exile after England's exit at the hands of Germany.
Carragher said players are on tenterhooks when they play for England and feel less pressure when appearing for their clubs.
"One mistake and you could be absolutely slaughtered. At your club, you know you will not be criticised as much and perhaps three days later there will be another game," he told the BBC.
"With England, it could be months before you have another fixture. There is a fear at times when playing for England.
"The intensity of the press does get to the players. Sometimes I think players would prefer the press guy to think they had played well, rather than the manager."