“I can’t watch this any more!” Serious accusations against Florian Wirtz after Liverpool’s stuttering start

Gary Neville heavily criticised Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak after Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle United at the start of the Premier League season.

"We have been nice to them so far," the Manchester United legend said on his own podcast on Sky Sports, with the enormous transfer fees totalling more than a quarter of a billion euros that Liverpool spent on Wirtz and Isak last year in the back of his mind. "They really have to deliver sooner or later now, otherwise they will come in for quite a lot of criticism."

Wirtz and Isak came in for heavy criticism even in their first year at Liverpool. Isak in particular could not yet live up to the huge expectations, not least because of a serious injury. Liverpool's trip to Newcastle on Sunday, the start of the new Premier League season, was meant to spark a much better second year. It did not.

At St James' Park, both Isak and Wirtz disappointed in the draw, which new coach Andoni Iraola's side only salvaged in stoppage time through a penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai.

"They are too nice," said former England international Neville, pinpointing the main issue he has with Liverpool's expensive attacking pair. "And if you want to be that nice, you had better play unbelievably good football," he added. "Wirtz lacks that bite for me," Neville said, singling out the German playmaker. "I just see a nice player running around the pitch without giving the impression that he is really tearing himself apart. That can happen, some players just have that style. But sometimes I want to give him a kick up the backside."

Heavy criticism of Florian Wirtz: "Enough is enough"

Despite Wirtz's obvious talent and strong understanding of the game, Neville still reached a blunt verdict after watching the 23-year-old former Leverkusen player and Isak at Newcastle: "Those two are the biggest disappointments for me." Wirtz now has to "find himself", Neville stressed. "Enough is enough, we have talked enough. [...] I see a really good player in him, but I can't watch this any more."

On Wirtz's style of play, Neville criticised too many unnecessary runs: "Sometimes I get the impression that he is on the move too much, not operating close enough to the striker and not really recognising where games are won." In Neville's view, the Germany international should be less involved in the build-up and instead give greater support to the No 9, in this case Isak, in the centre of attack.

In 2025, Wirtz moved from Bayer Leverkusen to Anfield Road for a base fee of 125 million euros. His first season was mixed, with only flashes of good form. He ended it with seven goals and ten assists in 49 appearances across all competitions.

Meanwhile, Isak, who was also out from the end of December to mid-April because of a broken fibula, had even bigger problems in his debut year with the Reds. For the Swede, the return to his former club Newcastle, which he had by no means left on good terms for Liverpool, was a real gauntlet full of mockery and abuse.