I think a few of us could see that one coming. Man Utd aren't a particularly great side, but you always get the feeling they are going to beat us these days. Have they got the "Indian sign" over us? Not really. The reason why I think they often come out on top, is that they nearly always play with a winger. You can go back to Coppell and Hill and even Johnny Aston, and they always have one in their line up, sometimes two. Notice the word "winger" rather than "wide man". Lots of of teams, including us, play with people out wide but having a winger is something else altogether.

Our full backs can't defend. It really is as simple as that. It's really ironic that having finally got together a centre back partnership, which looks solid and organised, we're now landed with some of the most ordinary full backs I can ever remember being at the club. Watching Gael Clichy make a complete pig’s ear of dealing with Nani, gave me one of the most painful 90 minutes I can recall. People like Winterburn, Sansom and even Sammy Nelson must sit and watch performances like that and think about getting their boots out of the attic.

Please bear in mind that Clichy isn't some young kid on a YTS scheme. This is a man who has represented his country at full international level. How can you possibly get to that stage and still have next to no idea on how to do your job? It's a bit like finding yourself in a Wimbledon final against Federer, and then discovering you haven't got a backhand.

The first goal. Admittedly a neat little trick from Nani, but you somehow knew Gael was going to get skinned. His body was all wrong. Good defenders crouch, get sideways on and stay on the balls of their feet. Think back to Martin Keown, Peter Storey if you're a bit older. The point is if you get yourself set properly to start with, even if they push the ball past you, you've still got a chance to turn and recover. Clichy was so badly balanced, he almost ended up in the front row of the crowd. We've got defenders on the coaching staff. Don't they teach them anything? Amazing!

For the second goal, Nani received the ball in so much space, I found myself scanning the pitch to see where our left back actually was. He'd somehow wandered into the middle of the pitch, where it looked like he was treading water. Even his recovery run was all wrong. He was basically completely out of the game. And that's another problem. This obsession with getting forward is all very well, but we never get any real end product, so wouldn't he be better employed just making sure their right winger doesn't get the chance to do precisely what he wants? Of course, what should have happened was that Denilson should have dropped back in to cover, but it depends on how long you're prepared to wait. Denilson is too f***ing slow! Which part of that sentence doesn't Arsene Wenger actually understand? 2-0 down against United and we might just as well have gone home, which is precisely what some of the team did.

The third goal, I didn't really get a good view of, but it looked like Clichy was playing their bloke on, but maybe that's a little harsh. Needless to say the defending was totally and utterly amateurish. Apologies to all amateur footballers everywhere.

Is Sagna any better? Sorry, but not really. He gets away with it because there's a real dearth of left wingers in the Premiership. I'll tell you one thing though. When we get to play Chelsea, you can bet your sweet life Ancelotti will be telling Ashley Cole to get up the pitch and have a go at him. I'd also be telling Anelka to pull out wide to the right and not give our centre halves anyone to mark. Managers watch games like that and draw their own conclusions. So there you have it. An accident waiting to happen.

Any other problems? Well, Almunia's confidence is shot to pieces, and we're still playing without a centre forward. All good teams have a player up front, who can win games for you. Torres, Anelka, Rooney and Drogba spring to mind. As soon as Van Persie got injured that should have been an absolute priority. If we've got too many at the end of the season, well then just offload the ones that aren't performing. Isn't that what managers do? Wheel and deal a bit? Loyalty, consistency and perseverance are wonderful qualities in any organisation, but there has to come a time when you have to let people go who aren't up to it and replace them with ones that are. That's the very nature of the business. I even read the other day that Eduardo has been offered an extended and 'improved' contract. What?! I haven't seen anything from him this year that warrants anything of the sort.

You can't do that and plead poverty at the same time.

It's just not on.