According to Bild, Florian Wirtz faced harsh criticism after the first round of Premier League matches.
In a lucky 2-2 draw against Newcastle away from home, the German international started and played in the central midfield behind striker Isak. However, Wirtz had a lackluster performance and was substituted in the 63rd minute when Liverpool were trailing 1-2.
After the match, England and Manchester United legend Gary Neville harshly criticized the German player on his podcast: "The key for Liverpool is that they have the attacking duo of Isak and Wirtz, valued at £250 million. Honestly, we've been quite lenient with them so far."
Neville continued, “They have to perform. First of all, they played too softly; if they played softly, they should at least have performed exceptionally well on the footballing level. I don’t see any real fighting spirit in Wirtz, which is perhaps different from Isak. Wirtz just gives me the impression of being a friendly player; he moves around on the pitch, but I never see him truly willing to give his all for anything.”
Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025 for €125 million, but in his first season at Anfield, he has rarely lived up to the high expectations placed upon him.
Neville demanded that the German attacking midfielder show more passion, fighting spirit, and aggression. The former Manchester United defender, who made 603 official appearances for the club, is known for his tough playing style. He said that whenever he saw Wirtz's sometimes indifferent body language, he felt like "kicking his ass."
Neville said: "Some players exude elegance and seem to move on the field effortlessly, like Özil and Kai Havertz. But when I see Wirtz, I always have an urge to push him harder."
