Archie Gray was on a different level for Tottenham against Slavia Prague.
Many Tottenham supporters have been keeping Archie Gray on a pedestal since he took his first steps donning the Lilywhites badge last season. And if you wanted to see why so many people at Hotspur Way are quietly convinced that the Leeds United academy graduate is going to be a mainstay of this midfield for the next decade, then his 59 minutes against Slavia Prague yesterday are a pretty good place to start.
Many would say that it wasn’t particularly flashy. But it didn’t need to be. It was a more controlled and mature performance, something that this Lilywhites roster side has been screaming out for in the middle of the park this season.
Archie Gray was impressive in the Champions League yesterday
While the North Londoners won the game comfortably on a 3-0 scoreline, it doesn’t tell half of the full story of the game. It was a game where Jindrich Trpisovsky set up his side to put in a man-to-man press. His idea was to force Tottenham into longer and riskier passes. But it was the presence of Gray in the second phase that kept things tidy. The 19-year-old completed 92% of his passes while he put in one long ball and was able to create a chance.
But when we talk about the first phase, Gray kept dropping in next to or between the centre-backs. This in a way gave Tottenham an option to go short, and that’s where his technical quality came to the surface. Gray did not even get dispossessed once. And then he completed pretty much everything simple and didn’t force going for anything spectacular (which is an underrated trait these days).
No drama is exactly what Tottenham need
And the fact that he avoided drama showed in how structured things were looking at times (something that we haven’t really seen at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium lately). He made 3 tackles and a couple of recoveries while also boasting an interception and clearance each. When it came to duels, he won 75% of his duels on the ground, while that number went up to 100% in the air. And most importantly, he did not give away any fouls. Archie was not flying into challenges; he was a bit more measured, and those numbers show that.
These are the signs of someone that Frank can go on to trust over the long term. And yesterday’s game just showed us the start of what (a role and the player) could become an integral part of the roster under the Danish head coach.
(Stats by Fotmob)
How impressed were you by Gray’s performance yesterday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
