Nev: Wirtz and Isak Liverpool's biggest disappointments - they must improve

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Gary Neville called on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak to improve after a year of "being kind to" Liverpool's £200m+ duo, but said he had faith the pair would come good despite being their "biggest disappointments" at Newcastle.Isak played the entire 90 minutes on his first return to St James' Park since becoming the Premier League's most expensive player last summer, though offered little more than Wirtz who was substituted just after the hour mark for Alexis Mac Allister. "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."And then Wirtz, he needs to sort himself out. He's young and he's come to a different country - and I'm all for willing him on."They have both had a bit of a free ride.

Obviously Isak was injured last season but Arne Slot loses his job, and Wirtz has played like that, so let's be clear, this has got me to start some real focus now."I can see a real player there, but can't keep watching this stuff and he's been subbed after an hour and they need a goal, but they're 2-1 down, so no that's not right." Image: Liverpool had to rely on a Dominik Szoboszlai last-gasp penalty to earn them an opening-weekend draw at Newcastle 'Wirtz should be closer to Isak'Wirtz had impressed as a shadow striker in pre-season, particularly in Liverpool's eventual 3-2 defeat to Monaco a fortnight before their league opener.But having played further away from Isak at St James Park, the 23-year-old was urged to return to that role by Neville to have a greater impact on games for the rest of the season, having contributed just eight league goal involvements since his nine-figure move from Leverkusen a year ago."Sometimes I think he moves around too much," he said. "Sometimes I don't think he's close enough to his striker, I don't think he understands where the game's going to be won and lost."When I played football and No 10s sometimes drifted too deep, or too wide, they would get a right rollicking off our manager."The game's not going to be won out there, the game's not going to be won back there, the game's going to be won in the final third, in and around the box."Combining with your striker, getting crosses in, getting little passes, getting little side passes down the side of the centre-backs, being close enough to your forward so that you can combine with him.