After Liverpool drew 2-2 with Newcastle United in an away match in the opening round of the new Premier League season, Gary Neville reminded Wirtz and Isak that they must improve their performances and show more aggression if they want to establish themselves at The Reds.

Both are among Liverpool's most expensive signings: Isak's £125 million transfer fee broke the Premier League transfer record, followed by Wirtz's £116 million price tag.

Last season, both had underwhelming debuts at Liverpool, and the club ultimately finished only in fifth place.

Both started in the opening round of the new Premier League season, but neither delivered an impressive performance. Wirtz was substituted in the 63rd minute, and Isak, who returned to St. James' Park for the first time since his acrimonious departure from Newcastle last summer, also struggled amid jeers from the home fans.

On this matter, Gary Neville said: "Liverpool spent £250 million on the attacking duo of Wirtz and Isak, and frankly, we've been too soft on them until now."

"They need to perform well immediately, otherwise they will certainly face plenty of criticism. They need to start justifying their price tags."

"First of all, they are too soft. If you want to be a 'nice guy' on the pitch, then your technical ability has to be exceptional."

"I especially don't see resilience in Wirtz—Isak might be slightly better—but Wirtz on the pitch gives me the feeling of a soft player who moves slowly, and I can't see him trying his best to do anything."

Speaking about Wirtz, Gary Neville further stated that he expects the attacking midfielder to play with more urgency. He said that Wirtz is too lazy on the pitch, sometimes he really wants to give him a hard kick, and he also believes that Wirtz needs to redefine his role and start contributing goals and assists.

"Some players have an elegant style of play and move smoothly on the pitch, like Özil and Havertz, but I really want to give Wirtz a strong wake-up call."

"He has the ability, the talent, and he understands his position. But I think sometimes he runs too much and stays not close enough to the striker. Sometimes it seems like he doesn't understand where the crucial moments in the game are."

"I haven't seen him connect with Isak. I've said this for a year: he's too easily 'invisible' on the pitch. I think Wirtz should reduce his involvement in the attacking build-up phase and stop seeing himself as a third midfielder, but rather as a good second striker, and focus more on his finishing contribution. What he needs to do is deliver short passes to Isak and exploit the space behind the opposition center-backs."

"Both of them need to improve. I've watched them for a full year, and now I'm being frank, but I still believe in them. I think Isak is a top player—when he was at Newcastle, I never saw anyone make Gabriel and Saliba, or Van Dijk and Konaté, look as confused as he did—I've seen his destructive power."

"Liverpool's teammates and coach need to see what Isak can do, after all, he cost £125 million. Wirtz also needs to adapt. This can't continue like this. He's still young and in a new country, I can see he has real talent, but we can't keep watching him play like this. He was substituted after just one hour of play, and the team still needed to score goals, which shouldn't happen. My biggest disappointment is with both of them."

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