While it does feel a bit like grasping at straws to find positives and individuals worth praising after Tottenham Hotspur melted down hard in a must win game, losing 3-1 to another London rival in Crystal Palace with their survival on the line, center midfielder Archie Gray and left winger Mathsy Tel deserve some flowers.
Gray registered back to back assists for Spurs in losses, shining even when out of position, as Igor Tudor had to shuffle things out of necessity, especially after supposed captain Micky van de Ven got bagged for an atrocious red card.
Whereas Van de Ven let the team down yet again while masquerading as their captain, the 19 year old Gray looked like the real captain, showing the hunger and urgency in the relegation fight that so many of his more experienced Spurs teammates have desperately lacked.
Mathys Tel belongs as a Tottenham starter
It was not only Gray, though. After being snubbed from the starting lineup over the weekend, young Mathys Tel came off the bench once more to nearly change the game vs. Fulham. Finally, the new manager Tudor rewarded the rising Frenchman with the start against Crystal Palace, and he led the way with four key passes in a quietly great performance as part of a woeful Spurs attack.
Tel is the one guy on the front line trying to make things happen, and he deserves just as much praise as Gray. It is not easy to create chances when your team is getting blown off the map like Spurs were by Oliver Glasner's Eagles, but Tel never gave up on his team.
Neither Tel nor Gray can ever be accused of not trying. These two young gems have future superstar written all over them, and it is a shame that even some of the Spurs faithful have turned on them at points this season or criticized them for not being good enough.
Well, they are good enough, and they are certainly superior to their more experienced peers like Conor Gallagher, Joao Palhinha, Richarlison, and Randal Kolo Muani. Tel, in particular, is really embarrassing players like Kolo Muani who do not even try.
At least Tudor has the foresight to startTel and Gray and make them important players for the team. They belong as Tottenham players in the 2026/27 season, regardless of what happens to end this relegation fiht, much more than many of the bigger names in the Spurs first team.