Arsenal have presided over the meanest defence in the Premier League in each of the last two seasons, but it has never been quite enough to deliver the ultimate prize.
Mikel Arteta has built his Arsenal team, first and foremost, on solid foundations, reminiscent of the two great Gunners sides assembled by Arsène Wenger during the first half of his 22-year reign in north London—and much less so in the second half.
