Gary Neville Critiques Liverpool's £200m Forward Duo After Stuttering Start

Gary Neville did not bother with niceties. Fresh from Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at St James’ Park on the opening weekend, the former Manchester United defender used his own podcast to put a glaring spotlight on two players in particular: Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

Both started against Newcastle. Both drifted. And for Neville, that is nowhere near good enough for a forward line that has cost “a quarter-of-a-billion pounds”.

Isak completed the full 90 minutes. Wirtz lasted an hour before Andoni Iraola turned to Alexis Mac Allister, searching for control and cutting edge that never truly arrived. Watching Liverpool labour, Neville’s patience snapped.

“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, summing up the mood of exasperation around the pair.

Liverpool invested heavily in the duo last summer, banking on them to spearhead a new attacking era. The price tags alone invite scrutiny; the lack of bite in their performances is now fuelling it.

For Neville, the problem is not just end product. It’s personality.

“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 Wirtz cut even sharper.

“I don't see the tenacity in Wirtz in particular,” Neville added. “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.”

That word – tenacity – hangs over both of them now. Liverpool’s attack is built to suffocate opponents, to run, press and harass. When the marquee forwards look like they’re gliding rather than grafting, questions follow quickly.

Yet Neville stopped short of writing them off. Beneath the frustration, there was still a clear belief that this is a temporary dip, not a permanent flaw.

He pointed to Isak’s previous body of work as proof of what the Sweden international can be when fully fit and fully engaged. Injury issues disrupted his campaign last season, but Neville has seen enough to remain convinced.

“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. Now Liverpool fans and his team-mates and coaching staff, they need to see that - because that's £125m they've spent on him.”

That is the crux of it. Liverpool know what they paid for. They have seen flashes, especially from Isak, of a forward capable of terrorising elite centre-backs. What they need now is consistency, edge and goals in a red shirt.

There is no breathing space in the schedule to quietly play their way into form. Nottingham Forest arrive next Saturday, and Iraola will expect a reaction.

For Wirtz, that means smarter, sharper positioning and more influence in the final third, not just neat touches in harmless areas. For Isak, it means rediscovering his ruthless streak in front of goal and setting the tone with his movement and aggression.

The patience that greeted their arrivals has not vanished, but the mood has shifted. The price tags are no longer just background noise; they are the measuring stick.

Next weekend at Anfield, Isak and Wirtz are no longer just Liverpool’s expensive future. They are under immediate orders to become Liverpool’s present.