Reds MUST rise above Isak noise to land blow on rivals

EXPLOSIVE ENCOUNTER GUARANTEED AS ANGRY HOME SUPPORT GROWS WEARY OF ALEX DRAMA

- 

ANYONE with a passing interest in Liverpool FC and a 'For You' tab on X this week will be forgiven for thinking Arne Slot and his players have a one-way trip booked to the Lions' Den on Monday night.

The fanbase of the Magpies are seemingly so outraged by the Premier League champions' pursuit of Alexander Isak, that the first home game of the new season will be more akin to Maximus and his mates being sent out to battle the King of the Jungle, if social media is to be believed.

Taking the temperature of an entire club's support via the medium of sites like X - formerly Twitter - is always a dangerous and foolhardy pursuit, but there can be little denying that the emotions and, as a result, the atmosphere will be a little more charged than usual given the Isak antics this week.

The Sweden international's genuine bombshell, which arrived via his Instagram account on Tuesday night, was exquisitely timed for those who like their transfer sagas to have a little dramatic flourish or two along the way.

The PFA's theoretical 24/25 Team of the Year had barely shuffled off stage left at the Manchester Opera House, sans-Isak, when the man himself, who was conspicuous only by his absence, caused a ripple effect with his explosive online outburst.

"I've kept quiet for a long time while others have spoken," he wrote.