Michael Owen points out Liverpool star after a tough performance in the draw with Newcastle
Former Liverpool and Newcastle striker Michael Owen didn’t hold back when talking about Alexander Isak’s performance against Newcastle.
Isak was met with boos and jeers as he got ready for kick-off at St James’ Park, and the game didn’t get much better for him. The Swedish forward, who shocked many by moving from Newcastle to Liverpool for £125 million last summer, was the least popular player on the pitch during the 2-2 draw on August 23.
The match started with former Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga scoring early for Liverpool. Then Cody Gakpo equalized with a long-range shot ten minutes after halftime. Newcastle quickly took the lead again when Joe Willock coolly scored past Liverpool’s keeper Alisson. Just when it seemed like Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle might get his first win, Liverpool got a late penalty after Lewis Hall was called for a foul on Victor Munoz. Dominik Szoboszlai confidently converted the spot-kick to secure a draw.
Despite grabbing a point, Liverpool stars didn’t escape criticism. Sky Sports pundit and ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville said Isak and Florian Wirtz were the “biggest disappointments” after their quiet displays. Like Isak, Wirtz has struggled this season since his £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Neville said on his podcast, “Liverpool have spent a quarter of a billion on Isak and Wirtz, and honestly, we’ve been kind to them. They need to start performing soon, or they’ll face more criticism. Right now, they just seem a bit too soft. If you’re going to be gentle, you better be incredible at football. I don’t see the fight from Wirtz. He’s a nice player but doesn’t look like he’s giving it his all. He’s got the talent and understanding, so I want to see more passion from him.”
Then, on August 24, Owen, who played for Liverpool, Newcastle, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, shared his thoughts, focusing on Isak. He feels the fans are running out of patience even though Isak had injury issues during his first season.
On talkSPORT, Owen said, “I had plenty of injuries in my career, so I know how tough it is to come back and that you need time. Everyone’s been patient with him, but now he’s finished the season, had the World Cup, and gone through pre-season, it’s starting to feel like we’re running out of excuses. We need to see the real Isak. We know how good he is — we saw it at Newcastle — but we haven’t seen it at Liverpool yet. Questions will start to come now.”
Owen added, “Liverpool need him now more than ever. They’ve lost Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike is injured. There aren’t many options up front. They absolutely need Isak in top form, but yesterday, he looked a yard off, and that’s worrying.”
So far, Isak has scored just four goals with one assist in 24 games for Liverpool. The Reds will be back in Premier League action at home against Nottingham Forest on August 29.