**As Liverpool fans, it feels wrong to want to agree with Gary Neville, but his comments about Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak are spot on. Things must improve!**
The Reds were poor away to Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon, with only a last-gasp penalty Dominik Szoboszlai preventing a first opening-weekend defeat in the Premier League since 2012 against West Brom.
Speaking on [Sky Sports](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh2ghpfhYnc) after the game, Neville didn’t hold back in his criticism of Wirtz and Isak, saying they must be doing more as Liverpool’s two most expensive signings in history:
_“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._
_“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. Now, that can happen. Sometimes players have that flow about them, but I want to put a rocket up him. I want to put a rocket up him because there’s ability there, there’s talent there, the understanding of his position.”_
**Criticism of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak is fair**
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Neville has provided plenty of strange Liverpool-related takes in the past, but in fairness to him, it is hard for even the most ardent Wirtz and Isak fan to disagree with him.
The pair were fairly given some leeway last season, with the former adjusting to the Premier League and the latter suffering a broken leg, but it is now time to kick on and fulfil their potential for the Reds.
Against Newcastle, both Wirtz and Isak were insipid – the German only played for an hour before he was substituted – playing a part in a hugely underwhelming all-round performance by Liverpool.
Wirtz flitted on the edge of the game, not stamping his authority on proceedings, while the occasion seemed to get to Isak, who was resoundingly booed by his former supporters throughout.
This is only one game in the new season, so there is no need for an overreaction, but both of Liverpool’s two most expensive additions of all time look no better than last season.
Every footballer is different, so it is hard to make them change their character, but there is a meekness about Wirtz and Isak that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Neither seem capable of single-handedly winning Liverpool a game at the moment, and for that sort of money, and with reputations as world-class players, you simply have to.
Hopefully, we will see a different Wirtz and Isak when Nottingham Forest make the trip to Anfield on Saturday lunchtime, but it is hard not to feel concerned about them.
Both are wonderful footballers when they want to be – Wirtz for his intelligence and technical brilliance, and Isak for his elite finishing – but they are a far cry from that right now.