Liverpool's striking weakness

As manager of a Birmingham City side fighting relegation, Steve Bruce always used to say that his team was only as good as its strikers. And unfortunately for City from about this time last year, Cameron Jerome, Nikola Zigic and Kevin Phillips could not do enough to avoid the drop.

Yet the situation is not too dissimilar higher up the table. If your forwards are not firing, rewards will be few, no matter how effective the rearguard performs. It is certainly a valid point with which to examine the respective fortunes of Newcastle and Liverpool, two teams with European ambitions who meet at the Sports Direct Arena today.

Already eight points ahead of their opponents, a Newcastle win would effectively end the race, to leave Kenny Dalglish facing further questions about the direction his side are taking.

And under the circumstances, those questions would inevitably centre around an attack where Andy Carroll, returning to his hometown today, has fallen well short so far of Liverpool standards, never mind of a player bought for pounds 35?million.

That fee, of course, is not the lad's fault. Newcastle snatched off Liverpool's hand when the money was offered, leaving the player with little choice. He had to make the move, even if it came too soon, or else be labelled unambitious for the rest of his days.

What has happened since could not be safely predicted, that Carroll would labour so badly in a team that looks much better when knocking the ball around quickly, preferably on the floor, to use the wit and skill of Luis Suarez.

Yet put Carroll in the side and instruct his team-mates to service the centre-forward with quality crosses, and Carroll still struggles, partly because he gets caught under the ball, his starting position all wrong for someone trying to attack the cross.

Factor in the stories about homesickness, about his constant trips back to Tyneside and you start to wonder whether the 23 year-old has it in him to adapt in a new environment.

This is all in complete contrast to the story of Demba Ba, whose 16 goals and general contribution have been as responsible as anything for Newcastle's success. Some free transfer. What started out as a gamble on a player rejected by Stoke for having, in the words of Tony Pulis, "a ticking time bomb" of a knee, has turned into the kind of inspired judgment we do not often see.

As to whether Newcastle can keep hold of a player with a reported buy-out clause in his contract remains another matter entirely.

Ba is hot property now. He has proved himself in the Premier League and, perhaps just as importantly, has eased doubts about his knee by hardly missing a game. It is the same story with Cheik Tiote. If a big offer comes in, owner Mike Ashley is not likely to say "thanks but no thanks".

In theory, the new boy, Papa Cisse, might also fit into this category, especially if he carries on like he has started.

Five goals so far include the long-range stunner against Aston Villa and a clever take to overcome Norwich. If those two strikes proved his bent for the spectacular, a couple of close-range efforts at West Bromwich Albion last week showed his nose for the main chance.

Perhaps Cisse is an instinctive finisher, as some suggest. Perhaps he does not do as well with time to think in front of goal. But his pace, strength and appetite make him a real danger just now as part of an attack that is beginning to look formidably strong.

The third member of that forward line is Hatem Ben Arfa who, at the Hawthorns, enjoyed his best game by far in scoring one and creating the other two during a classy display. Starting on the right, the talented Frenchman grabbed hold of proceedings with his beautifully balanced runs and smart distribution.

If Alan Pardew can keep these three fit and on form at the forefront of a 4-3-3 system that looks pretty useful, he stands a great chance of sprinting to the finish line.

Pardew should fancy his chances of hurting Liverpool, that is if a reshuffled back four denied Fabricio Coloccini can contain a team sometimes happier on the road. That might be tricky if Suarez starts linking up smoothly with Steven Gerrard. Those intermittent moments show Liverpool at their best, the quality shining through to offer hope.

That particular commodity, however, has been in short supply lately as Liverpool fans reflect on where the club is heading. Watching on this afternoon, they might be entitled to wonder how it is that Newcastle can secure gems like Ba, Cisse, Tiote and Yohan Cabaye for reasonable sums whilst Liverpool shell out a fortune on unfulfilled talent.

That has been the main story this season: Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson joining Carroll on the list entitled Jury's Out. Newcastle, in contrast, can celebrate their signings, thanks to the shrewd judgment of chief scout Graham Carr.

As for today, will it come down to the strikers, as Bruce always thought? If it does, Newcastle can claim the greater riches - something you could never have imagined only eight months ago.