Gary Neville has piled the pressure on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz after Liverpool's disappointing opening day draw against Newcastle United
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on May 03, 2026 in Manchester, England
Gary Neville has delivered his verdict on Liverpool's opening game of the season(Image: Getty Images)
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has piled the pressure on Liverpool's Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz after a disappointing outing in their Premier League opener against Newcastle United.
The Reds got off to a mixed start to the new season with a 2-2 draw at St. James' Park. The result was frustrating on the basis that both of Newcastle's goals came from counterattacks, while the resilience shown to earn at least a point with a stoppage-time penalty reflects the 'never say die' attitude that has served Liverpool well in years gone by.
Another disappointing element from the result, however, was that the issues that persisted with the likes of Isak and Wirtz last season were on full display once again, although this time with a new head coach at the helm. The promising signs shown in preseason were not on display on Sunday, resulting in concerns among not just Neville, but supporters as well.
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Isak and Wirtz were brought to Anfield for significant funds 12 months ago. Liverpool broke its transfer record to beat the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich to the signing of Wirtz, paying Bayer Leverkusen a hefty £116 million ($158 million).
Liverpool then smashed not just its own transfer record, but the British record, to land Isak from Newcastle for £125 million ($170 million). In doing so, the club brought an end to a lengthy and complicated transfer saga that spanned almost the entire summer, and ultimately had a negative impact on the player's first season at the club.
Despite the significant money spent, Neville's verdict on Liverpool's opening game against Newcastle is that the Reds look so far removed from being a title-winning team. He also insisted the sentiment around Isak and Wirtz has been overly kind over the last year, and that the pressure is now on them to justify their price tags.
"You can’t say Liverpool didn’t deserve a point out of the game because they created a lot of chances," he said on his Sky Sports podcast.
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool (R) and Alexander Isak of Liverpool look on during the pre-season friendly match against Como
Gary Neville has warned it's time for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz to deliver for Liverpool(Image: Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
"I think Liverpool will be happy with the point and the way the game ended but deep down, when you’re measuring yourself against the teams they've had recently that have won titles, I think they’ll be thinking "we’ve got a lot of work to do". They’re nowhere near a title-winning team, I don’t think.
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"The other big thing for Liverpool is they’ve got Isak and Wirtz who are going to have to start playing soon. We’ve been kind on them two.
"They need to start delivering and they need to improve. There were some positives for Liverpool but there’s a big question over Isak and Wirtz still, those two need to deliver."
With a week left to go in the transfer window, Liverpool could yet introduce another expensive player into the mix in the form of Bradley Barcola. The Reds continue to be linked with the Paris Saint-Germain attacker, although it does not appear an agreement is imminent at this stage, if reports in both England and France are anything to go by.