Gary Neville questions Liverpool's Isak and Wirtz after Newcastle draw

Gary Neville made Liverpool's £200m-plus front two the story of Newcastle vs Liverpool. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz were his “biggest disappointments” at St James' Park, and he said both need to start delivering soon. Isak played the full 90 minutes on his first return to Newcastle since becoming the Premier League's most expensive player, while Wirtz was substituted just after the hour mark for Alexis Mac Allister.

Neville's criticism of Liverpool's front two

"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," Gary Neville said on Sky Sports. He followed that with the sharper line: "The biggest disappointment for me [Sunday] is those two."

The target of most of his frustration was Wirtz. Neville said, "I don't see the tenacity in Wirtz in particular. I just see a nice player moving around the pitch, not really ever looking like he's busting a gut to do anything."

He also argued that Wirtz should think about being a second striker and staying closer to Isak in tight games. Neville said he sometimes moves around too much and is not close enough to his striker, which leaves Liverpool light in the areas where matches are decided.

Why Neville still expects both players to respond

The criticism sits alongside a fair bit of patience. Neville said, "I've watched them both for 12 months, and I do actually have faith in them. I think Isak's an exceptional player and we've seen it."

That view is backed by their broader numbers so far. Isak's season rating stands at 7.29 across 4 appearances and 319 minutes. Wirtz has a 7.59 rating across 4 appearances and 371 minutes. Those figures do not make Neville's Newcastle verdict go away, but they do show why he is treating this as a bad night rather than a permanent judgement.

Wirtz's output is still the main issue. Neville said the Germany international has contributed just eight league goal involvements since his move from Bayer Leverkusen a year ago. That is the level Liverpool need to see more often from the No 10 role, especially when the team are already relying on a expensive forward pairing to set the tone.

Liverpool's own form adds a bit more pressure. Their last five league results include 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats, so this was not a one-off off night for the attack. Neville was blunt after Newcastle, but the final call on Isak and Wirtz will come from what they do next in Liverpool's league run.