Rolls-Royce in attack, Yugo at the back

You can't win anything with a leaky defence. After a 121-year-long history, you'd think Barcelona have mastered this simple mantra. They say they have, but their actions, transfer dealings and all-around mentality suggest that they have once again failed to do first things first. In a word – Barca's defence is terrible.

Ronald Koeman and his team desperately needed to win on Tuesday night to remain in the hunt for the La Liga title, but they somehow managed to spill two massive points with a sloppy 3-3 draw. It didn't look like it at first as captain Lionel Messi and Pedri scored to give their team a 2-0 advantage in the first half. But then things started to unravel for Barcelona. Levante cancelled out the lead in just a couple of minutes. Ousmane Dembele pounced to give Barca another lead, but, surprise, surprise, that lead wasn't enough either. Sergio Leon made it 3-3 seven minutes from time to all but end Barca's hopes.

LaLiga title contenders alergic to winning

The nightmarish second half in the Levante match pinpointed the adage that you may win a few games with attack, but that titles are won by defending. Just like you cannot build a solid house unless you've got strong foundations, you cannot win the national championship if your defence sucks.

On Tuesday, the three goals conceded increased Barcelona's goal against tally to 36 in as many matches played. An average of a goal conceded per match is not good enough for a side in search of trophies. In comparison, the other La Liga contenders have conceded far fewer. First-placed Atletico have only leaked 22 goals so far, with an average of 0.63 per match. Real Madrid have conceded ten goals fewer than Barcelona, which comes out at 0.74 a game. Not good enough.

The only reason Barcelona have been in the race so far is their incredible forward line. When you've got Messi, Griezmann and Dembele upfront, the goals are always going to come. Barcelona have scored an impressive 83 goals in the league so far this season – which is 22 more than Atletico and 23 more than Real Madrid. The ability to outscore the opposition is an admirable trait for any team, but outscoring the opponent is a lot easier if you don't concede. When you let three goals in – you're in trouble.

Back three of Clement Lenglet, Gerard Pique and Araujo wasn't good enough. Samuel Umtiti was on the bench but was deemed unfit to contribute. Young and inexperienced Riqui Puig came on for Araujo and didn't have the best of times in such a crunch match.

The attack is world-class, but the defence is bang average. It's been Barcelona's problem for years, so it's not only the head coach who is at fault. Nevertheless, it's Ronald Koeman who will get the most flak – and he knows it.

"Coaches are always questioned. But I understand that, after that second half, there are questions. We are disappointed, and we're wondering what happened. We have to move on and prepare for next season. As a coach, you're always responsible. We spoke at half time about improving defensively and not dropping our intensity. We were hopeful. We were 2-0 ahead. You don't expect to draw from there."

It's a shame for a team with such a rampant attack to be hampered by such a leaky defence. It's like your car looks like a Rolls-Royce at the front but is no more than a squeaky Yugo at the back.