2) Better teams
While Arsenal arguably won a very weak Premier League in 2003/04, they were found wanting against the very best teams in Europe, losing against Inter Milan in the group stages and later to Chelsea in the quarter-finals. It’s all very well turning on the style against awful sides like Leeds and Middlesbrough, but Manchester United showed they could beat the best as they got past big names like Juventus and then Bayern Munich in the final to win the biggest club competition in the world.