As I've just said, we've had Perch and Guthrie in the side right up to Spurs, and didn't have Ba and Cisse for a while either. We're not like you guys and unsure of who our best CM pairing is because they're all fairly even. With us, Cabaye and Tiote are 10 levels above the back-up, and they've been a huge loss.
We got them back on Saturday, and a 2-0 lead before half-time showed that we were doing well, but we took our foot off the pedal and completely underestimated them in the second half. The performance was sloppy and they pulled it back. However, they're unbeaten in their last 4 away games (including games at Arsenal and Spurs) so it was always going to be a difficult game.
Put it this way. There are clear-cut reasons why we may have looked 'crap' lately, but none of them should apply in the derby.