Gary Neville Critiques Liverpool's £200m Duo After St James’ Park Draw
Gary Neville did not bother with niceties. Speaking on his podcast after Liverpool’s 2-2 opening‑weekend draw at St James’ Park, the former defender went straight for the club’s two most expensive forwards.
Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, a £200 million double investment meant to spearhead Liverpool’s new era, were the focus of his ire.
Isak completed the full 90 minutes on Sunday. Wirtz lasted an hour before Andoni Iraola turned to Alexis Mac Allister, searching for control and incision his side never truly found. For Neville, patience with the pair has already been stretched.
“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,” he said.
That line set the tone.
“Too nice” for the fight?
The frustration is rooted in expectation. Both forwards arrived last summer for huge fees, billed as ready-made stars for a side that refuses to stand still. Neville’s verdict: the edge required at this level is missing.
“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,” he warned. “For a start, they're too nice, and if you're going to be nice, you'd better be incredible at football.”
The criticism on Sunday homed in on Wirtz.
“I don't see the tenacity in Wirtz in particular,” Neville continued. “I just see a nice player moving around the pitch, not really ever looking like he's busting a gut to do anything. The biggest disappointment for me [Sunday] is those two.”
Liverpool’s attack never quite clicked on Tyneside. Possession came and went, but the cutting edge that £200m is supposed to guarantee never truly arrived. Isak’s movement flickered, Wirtz drifted, and the game drifted with them.
Faith in the talent – but the bill is due
Neville’s assessment was sharp, but not final. He still believes the pair can reach the level their price tags demand, especially Isak, whose ceiling he clearly rates.
“I've watched them both for 12 months, and I do actually have faith in them,” he 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 Konate a tougher time as Isak did when he played at Newcastle in a black and white shirt. I've seen him be devastating.”
Injuries disrupted the Sweden international’s rhythm last season, a point acknowledged amid the criticism. The quality, Neville insists, is not in doubt. The output is.
“Now Liverpool fans and his team-mates and coaching staff, they need to see that - because that's £125m they've spent on him.”
The numbers are impossible to ignore. So is the scrutiny that comes with them.
Little time, big response needed
There is no soft landing for Liverpool or their marquee forwards. Nottingham Forest visit Anfield next Saturday, and Iraola knows the narrative if his front two turn in another quiet afternoon.
Wirtz, so gifted between the lines, must find more aggression in his positioning and movement, linking more sharply in the final third instead of floating on the edges of the contest. Isak, once a ruthless finisher in black and white, has to rediscover that clinical edge in red.
The patience Neville referenced has not yet snapped, but the clock is ticking loudly. Liverpool paid for game-changers. Now the season is moving, the fixtures are stacking up, and the question hangs over Anfield:
When do Isak and Wirtz start playing like £200 million worth of answers?
