Newcastle V Liverpool

           

  The Magpies head into the Barclays Premier League clash with Liverpool sitting just six points clear of the relegation zone, with the rigours of a European campaign and a catalogue of injuries having helped to ruin their chances of challenging for a second successive top-five finish.This is only our third year back in the Premier League, so you can't say we have been here for 10 years and we have got it all nailed down. We haven't.However, there is also an acknowledgement on Tyneside that they got it wrong last summer when they decided not to strengthen the squad substantially, adding only midfielder Vurnon Anita to the senior pool in the belief that their youngsters would come to the fore this time around.There has been better news for Pardew on the injury front this week with playmaker Hatem Ben Arfa closer to full match fitness and Cheick Tiote back after a hamstring problem, and skipper Fabricio Coloccini's return to full training in recent days represents a further boost.It was an error the Magpies attempted to address in January when they belatedly invested #26million in Mathieu Debuchy, Massadio Haidara, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Moussa Sissoko and Yoan Gouffran, and it remains to be seen whether or not they are made to pay for their earlier misjudgment.With the Uruguay international likely to be suspended until late September at the earliest after deciding not to appeal his 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic last weekend there is a huge hole up front.However, Pardew insists that lessons have been learned.He gave an indication of the influence he can have on a match last weekend when he came off the bench for the second half against his former club and immediately created a clear chance for captain Steven Gerrard before scoring himself and providing the assist for Suarez's added-time equaliser.He said: "I don't think we have shied away from that with the Europa League, that we were short of one or two - two or three players, actually - and it was compounded by injuries.