St. James Park's "Hell" Greets Liverpool

NEWCASTLE, SATURDAY — Newcastle United can momentarily set aside the Tyne-Wear derby, the fiercest clash against local rivals Sunderland, who have returned to the Premier League after nine years. For Newcastle, the biggest adversary at the moment is Liverpool, which is attempting to acquire striker Alexander Isak.

Newcastle experienced a breath of fresh air at the end of last season. They successfully secured a domestic competition trophy again after a 70-year drought and qualified for the Champions League once more. The resurgence of the team coached by Eddie Howe was led by Isak, the goal machine.

That happiness was only temporary. Their plans fell apart following Liverpool's move to acquire Isak. At the same time, Isak, who is still under a three-year contract, also intended to move. The player's determination was unwavering, to the point of refusing to train and play again for Newcastle.

The relationship between Newcastle and Isak has already deteriorated. The antagonistic figure is Liverpool. Amidst this drama, Newcastle will host Liverpool at St. James Park Stadium on Tuesday (26/8/2025) at 02:00 WIB. "With everything that is happening, the atmosphere (in the stadium) will be wild," said Newcastle winger, Anthony Gordon.

St. James Park will present a "hell" for the visiting team, both from the field and the stands. Newcastle has one of the most fanatic supporter bases in England. Imagine, they are forced to witness the betrayal of Isak, who was initially regarded as a potential club legend.

Just like the tens of thousands of supporters ready to unleash their animosity, the Newcastle players are also in battle mode. Gordon and his teammates want to prove that Liverpool is not much better. Newcastle demonstrated this when they won in the English League Cup final last March.

I have no doubt that there will be tremendous enthusiasm from the home supporters. We must be able to take advantage of that, but we should not become reckless.

"We have to concentrate and execute our plan properly. The energy from the crowd will be vital for us," Howe explained.

Liverpool coach Arne Slot is highly anticipating surprises from the host team. However, this is not due to rumors regarding Isak. He is more focused on the high-intensity gameplay that heavily relies on physicality, characteristic of Howe's style. This style of play almost always posed challenges for "The Reds" last season.

"We met with them three times last season. Twice among those meetings, their intensity was higher than ours. Especially when we had to visit them. So, I think they do not need anything extra to perform intensely at St. James Park later," said Slot regarding the threat posed by Newcastle.

Newcastle has a trio of midfielders who are very aggressive in duels, namely Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, and Sandro Tonali. They are often tasked with disrupting the opponent's rhythm with "hard" play in the midfield. Coupled with external factors, this trio can become even more ferocious.

The last time Liverpool visited St. James Park, in February, Newcastle also played without Isak. The difference was that the Swedish national team striker was absent due to injury. This time, Howe must think creatively as he lacks a backup striker. Gordon is likely to return as an emergency substitute.

According to Slot, Newcastle will remain dangerous with or without Isak. "I am not sure, but I assume from what I read in the media, Isak will not play. However, they still have players like Gordon, (Harvey) Barnes, and Jacob Murphy," he stated.

Howe confirmed that Isak will be absent in the match against Liverpool. The coach and the players actually have no personal issues with the 25-year-old forward. They hope that Isak can rejoin the team. However, everything still depends on a new solution between the club and Isak.

Previously, last Wednesday, Isak made a public statement for the first time. He stated that he could not continue his cooperation with Newcastle because he had lost trust. Isak was promised a transfer to a new club this summer, but the club did not fulfill this promise.

The club that still holds the contract for Isak is reluctant to let the player leave just like that. The absence of a suitable replacement for Newcastle also affects the transfer. Newcastle has set Isak's price at around 150 million pounds sterling (Rp 3.29 trillion).

Howe hopes that the prolonged drama will come to an end soon. For him, no one benefits from the current situation. "I have been saying all summer that this difficult situation will be hard to resolve. I hope this ends so we can refocus on football," he stated.

Although the player has closed the door, Howe believes it is not too late. "Fans will react according to the player's contributions. In my opinion, the relationship between the fans and Isak will be just fine (if he returns). I hope to work with him again," concluded Howe. (AP/REUTERS)