Gary Neville has openly urged Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak to step up their performances after a season that has been described as "being kind to" Liverpool's £200‑million‑plus attacking partnership. Despite the harsh assessment that they have been Liverpool’s "biggest disappointments" at Newcastle, Neville expressed confidence that the pair could eventually fulfil the lofty expectations placed upon them.
In their first league appearance at St James’ Park since joining Liverpool, Isak completed the full 90 minutes, while Wirtz was taken off just after the hour, making way for Alexis Mac Allister. Both players arrived with a wave of optimism after impressive displays in pre‑season friendlies under new manager Andoni Iraola, yet that optimism failed to translate into the opening Premier League match. During the Gary Neville Podcast, the former England defender said: "The big thing for Liverpool is they've got this quarter‑of‑a‑billion‑pound front two, Isak and Wirtz, and bloody hell, we've been kind to them.
They're going to have to start playing sooner or later or else, to be fair, they're going to get quite a lot of criticism. For a start, they're too nice, and if you're going to be nice, you'd better be incredible at football." Neville went on to single out a perceived lack of tenacity in Wirtz, describing him as "a nice player moving around the pitch, not really ever looking like he's busting a gut to do anything." He added that while the German midfielder possesses talent and positional awareness, he needs to add a greater degree of urgency: "I want to put a rocket up him because there's ability there, there's talent there, the understanding of his position." The former defender labelled both forwards as "the biggest disappointment for me [Sunday]" after their underwhelming display at St James’ Park.
Nevertheless, he reiterated his belief that they can rediscover the form that made them stars at Newcastle United and Bayer Leverkusen respectively. "I've watched them both for 12 months, and I do actually have faith in them," Neville said. "I think Isak's an exceptional player and we've seen it. I never saw anybody give Gabriel and Saliba or Van Dijk and Konaté a tougher time as Isak did when he played at Newcastle in a black and white shirt.
I've seen him be devastating. Now Liverpool fans, his teammates and the coaching staff need to see that – because that's £125 million they've spent on him." Regarding Wirtz, Neville was blunt: "He needs to sort himself out.
Enough's enough now, we've talked about him enough. He's young and he's come to a different country – and I'm all for willing him on. They have both had a bit of a free ride.
Obviously Isak was injured last season but Arne Slot loses his job, and Wirtz has played like that, so let's be clear, this has got me to start some real focus now." Neville also criticised the timing of Wirtz’s substitution, noting that Liverpool were trailing 2‑1 when he was taken off, a decision he felt did not help the team’s chances. He praised Wirtz’s pre‑season performances, particularly his role as a shadow striker in Liverpool’s 3‑2 loss to Monaco, but argued that the player needs to revert to that more advanced position to have a greater impact throughout the season.
Since his nine‑figure transfer from Leverkusen, Wirtz has contributed only eight league goal involvements, a figure Neville believes is far below what Liverpool paid for him. He suggested that Wirtz often drifts too far from the striker, losing the sense of where the game will be won or lost: "Sometimes I think he moves around too much. Sometimes I don't think he's close enough to his striker, I don't think he understands where the game's going to be won and lost." Drawing on his own playing experience, Neville warned that a No 10 who drifts too deep or too wide can attract severe criticism from a manager.
He emphasized that the decisive moments of a match happen in the final third, around the box, and that Wirtz must focus on delivering quick, incisive passes to Isak rather than getting involved in peripheral build‑up play. "Combining with your striker, getting crosses in, getting little passes, getting little side passes down the side of the centre‑backs, being close enough to your forward so that you can combine with him. And I don't see him combining with Isak," Neville explained.
"I just feel like Wirtz has got to think about being involved in the build‑up less and think about being a second striker. He's got to think about his output and what he needs to do, and that is feed Isak with little passes down the side of centre‑backs.
He might only get the ball two or three times in that position in tight games where teams are lying deep." Neville’s comments come at a crucial juncture for Liverpool, who have invested heavily in both forwards and now face pressure to see a return on that expenditure. The club’s supporters, aware of the financial outlay, are eager for the duo to translate their potential into tangible results, particularly goals and assists that can turn tight matches in Liverpool’s favour. While the criticism may feel harsh, Neville’s underlying message is one of encouragement.
He believes that with a year of experience at Anfield, both Isak and Wirtz can adapt to the physicality and pace of the Premier League, refine their tactical awareness, and ultimately become the prolific partnership Liverpool envisioned when they broke the transfer record. In his view, the key lies in sharpening their mental edge, increasing their work rate, and developing a clearer understanding of each other's movements on the pitch. If they can address these issues, Neville predicts that Liverpool’s front line could evolve into one of the most feared attacking units in English football, justifying the massive investment and delivering the excitement that fans have been waiting for. Until then, the scrutiny will remain intense, and the expectation that they will step up will only grow stronger with each match.