I love international week, one of the few fans who does love it seems nowadays, as well as seeing something different, knowing that the money gained filters down to youngsters across the globe, it also gives some more time to think about the club. This season we have tended to enter international weeks in good shape but this time, our form has been poor and we have gone from top of the table with a five point gap to third place and having to make up six points to catch Man U. A humiliating FA Cup defeat hasn't helped nor has the final game being a loss to Chelsea after taking the lead.

Analysis has understandably been going on as to where it has gone wrong, some suggest things are stagnating under Arsene and have been for awhile, some suggest inexperience, some blame lack of quality keeper, not enough squad depth, lack of wingers, Hleb/Ade/Gallas are useless, unable to cope with pressure, not yet ready among others. Perhaps all are true, perhaps part of it is true but there is something that certainly concerns me more then other reason.

Recently, I read an article on Manchester United in a paper about how they are a one man team of late. It goes on about how Man U wouldn't have done so well without Ronaldo and somewhat harshly dismisses the attacking players of Man U's recent form. Certainly Ade, Cesc's goals drying up and Hleb's loss of form hasn't helped but in only five games all season have we not scored, same as Man U who have a slightly superior goals scored tally. For the record Chelsea have failed to score ten times this season. Even in our recent run, from the Man U game, we have scored five and had two goals unjustly ruled out in eight games, hardly fantastic but enough there to keep going if not for one thing.

That same article did mention the Manchester defence had been playing well but underplayed it in its attempt to portray Ronaldo as the only reason they are in with a chance at the title. Manchester have conceded five goals at home in the league and fifteen goals overall, an incredibly low amount. Chelsea have conceded thirty three and we have conceded twenty-four so far this season. Clearly we are not Newcastle, Spurs or Derby and our defence is by no means anything less then very good but I feel it is to blame for our recent fall.

Every title challenger will have a period where they are playing badly or the strikers are just not scoring, during that period it is up to the defence to stand firm. Conceding goals when you’re firing them isn't great but not costly. However when you may only get one goal or even none, any goal conceded can be unbelievably costly. Man U's back five of VDS, Evra, Rio, Vidic and even Brown (never thought I would be saying this) have been solid as a rock, which has ensured that even when Man U are struggling, their strikers just need to get one goal to get the win. During our recent run, our defence seems to have collapsed, conceding silly goal after silly goal and we will struggle as long as we ship goals, it is great defences that win the league but not so great ones that cost you the title.

Man for man, our defence doesn't seem bad on paper. Jens Lehmann is a world class keeper on his day but like VDS starting to decline, Almunia like Kucazck is a reliable keeper who will make the odd brilliant save but mostly just a reliable deputy though Man U's Foster is a lot more ready then our current third choice. Sagna has been the best right back in the league this season, Eboue had a very good first season there while Hoyte is a loyal versatile and solid defender, though not ever going to be good enough for a regular run. Clichy is one of the best left backs in the league and Traore supposedly could be even better but he is still young and not quite ready. In the centre, Gallas has been a good captain and is a winner, Toure is one of the best cb's in the league, Senderos is continuing to improve and was a reliable force while Toure was out, Djourou has not suddenly become a bad defender after one dodgy spell on loan and Song has done well at cb when called upon. Just ahead, we had Diarra who waltzed off, Gilberto whose form has collapsed this year, Flamini who has been a revelation, Denilson who hasn't had the best of years but is still young and talented and Song who was one of the best players in the Cup of Nations.

So individually, we are in good shape for a title challenge but nobody but the injured Sagna has been up to their usual standard. Against Man U, we conceded four goals and if not for good goalkeeping by Lehmann, it could have been even more of a rout. We had a goal ruled out that day so once again, even when getting thrashed, our attack did find a way to score but as badly as everyone performed, it was the back four that looked all at sea. Hoyte was out of his depth and Traore's difficult season got even worse, Gallas and Toure (making his first start since the African Cup of Nations) were too busy getting outplayed by Rooney to be able to help much.

Against Milan, Sagna and Clichy were fit to play and Toure came off injured, after an early scare where Jens Lehmann made a vital world class save from a header, Senderos came on and the defence performed brilliantly to keep Milan quiet. Home against Birmingham City was never going to be easy given their record under McLeish against big teams, but winnable. We scored twice and could easily have doubled that despite the horror that was Dudu's injury - but our defence let us done. McFadden was probably fortunate to win the free kick as there were three players crowded around him. But Flamini didn't get the ball and brought the player down however accidentally, always a risk. The ball was curled into the net but as there tends to be, some questioned if a top keeper might have got to that whereas the recalled Almunia didn't. Then Flamini in injury time played the ball across rather then up the pitch for Clichy who, for the second time that month, failed to realise there was a player around and got himself in trouble, great tackle but the ref got the big calls wrong that day and it ended up a draw.

Against Aston Villa, we conceded a silly early goal and given Villa's pace on the counter, it was a potential disaster, Gallas failed to play to the whistle and was thus unable to cut out the cross which bounced cruelly off Senderos, who had been marking his man, and past Almunia who never seems capable of stopping anything deflected. In fairness to both Gallas and Almunia, the keeper made a really good save and Gallas made a saving tackle early on, but we could easily have conceded a second the amount of times their counter attacks caused us trouble.

Going into the San Siro, we had a shaky start with Almunia wrong footed with Cesc having to clear off the line while Senderos and Clichy struggled early on but AC Milan failed to take their chances and we tightened up, in the end utterly deserving a win. Another clean sheet was kept against Wigan, a fine defensive display but we failed to take our chances that game, it was our defence that won us the point and it could have been three if not for the on-form Kirkland.

Toure was fit again and Senderos was, somewhat harshly perhaps, dropped. Boro only had one attack and like last season, that was all the opposition seemed to need. Tuncay was onside and yet still got miles in behind Toure while Gallas ended up in a position where he wasn't marking the offside Aliadare or able to cut out the cross, Almunia threw himself across and ended up the wrong way. 1-0 down and while luck wasn't with us in that half, it made it a difficult game against a team that loves to play against the big boys.

In the last game before the international break against a Chelsea team who were playing catch up, we score and yet we lose the lead. Throughout the game, Drogba had an easy time getting beyond Gallas and Toure. He didn't need to outjump them but just outrun them to long balls and that was scary. Had he dominated them in terms of winning headers then I wouldn't be too unhappy but we know our two centre backs are not good in the air. First goal, another long ball, Gallas failed to deal with it as he had failed to do all day and we were in trouble, Flamini's failure to track Lampard really cost us and we ended up at 1-1. Then Clichy gives away a silly free kick, handling after he lost possession, ball comes in, Toure loses his man while Flamini struggles to keep up with Lampard, Drogba shoots and Almunia has another "would a top keeper have done better" moment.

It’s too soon after the Bolton game to give much thought and I will need to have a look at Almunia's performance again but Flamini and others did not shine with the goals conceded and it worries me. Liverpool and Man U would love it if we continue to defend like this, in fact anybody who we face will love it, even if our attack was on form we would be in trouble with a sieve-like defence.

What are the answers to the problem? Maybe Arsene should look at the coaching of our keepers and our defenders and we need to work on how to deal with offside traps when ours fail. Short term, replace Almunia with Jens Lehmann. Yes Jens made two horrible errors this season but he has recovered and won us two games, we know he can be top quality and he knows how to win titles. Almunia was impressive against Aston Villa and solid against AC Milan and Wigan but too many "could have done" better moments for me recently.

Sagna's loss is a huge blow but I have faith in Toure/Eboue, I wouldn't place Toure in the centre though. Since he returned from an injury in the Cup of Nations, he has kept one clean sheet against Wigan and conceded nine in five. Is he still feeling an injury? I fear he is and think he needs to be fit before placed back alongside one of Gallas/Senderos. The normally reliable Clichy has been making more mistakes than usual but we can't do much about that right now except tell him to use his pace when attacking fullbacks. Hopefully Gallas will play more like his earlier form without having to help cover others’ mistakes so can concentrate on his own game. With Senderos and Lehmann, that could be our defensive spine from which to make a recovery run for second and put pressure on Man U.

Flamini I find more complicated, he seems out of form but Bolton was arguably the best game we had to risk Song or Denilson instead of him. Against Liverpool or Man U is not the time to experiment with holding players but if Flamini keeps playing this way, it would be better to gamble than not to. A rest could give him the legs needed for the final few games, perhaps he is already thinking elsewhere in which case we can do nothing but drop him.

Whatever happens, we will have a stronger squad next year, we will have experience of a title challenge under our belt and have done better then last year so I have hope. But for now, I am deeply worried about the backline and fear I will remain so for rest of the season.