If this were to be the start of Tottenham Hotspur‘s brave new era, they truly are in trouble.
Despite all of the positivity that had emanated from seemingly every corner of the club after Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival, none of it was on show against Sunderland. Instead, there were only the same red raw scars and mental fragility that had dragged them into this mess.
Supporters weren’t hoping for a sea change, but they did want a reason to believe again. At the Stadium of Light, they may have sat forwards as their players more than held their own for 45 minutes, before slumping back down after the restart as the failings of old took hold.
Nordi Mukiele’s deflected goal was deeply unfortunate, but it was also a symptom of this Spurs crisis. Truth be told, they did not have any real conviction during the second half, and after they conceded, they never looked like mustering a response.
With just six matches remaining, Tottenham remain inside the relegation zone, two points adrift of safety. Unless something drastic changes soon, they will go down with a whimper.
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What did Roberto de Zerbi do differently with Archie Gray?
The idea of Spurs being relegated from the Premier League may have been fanciful just a handful of months ago, but now, it’s a reality. It’s approaching this listing club head-first like a train. Players, perhaps resigned to their fate, looked like they were sleepwalking.
First, the (very few) positives. Spurs delivered an improved attacking performance in the opening 45 minutes, which would have pleased De Zerbi. The new head coach did not spring any major surprises in his team selection, aside from keeping Xavi Simons on the bench.
The visitors actually ticked along quite nicely before half-time, aided by a quietly effective midfield duo of Archie Gray and Conor Gallagher. But after Sunderand took the lead, De Zerbi went back to the drawing board. His change effectively – and unfairly – hung Gray out to dry.
Gray and Lucas Bergvall were hooked following the goal, replaced by Pape Sarr and Joao Palhinha. As they trudged off, Spurs lost their way and never really recovered.
For the efforts of the impressive 20-year-old had helped Tottenham keep a level head, as well as several steadying spells of possession. De Zerbi used him as the water carrier, through whom everything flowed. He shouldered a significant amount of responsibility.
In doing so, he had allowed both Bergvall and Gallagher to push on and move closer to Randal Kolo Muani, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke. While Gallagher appeared busy, he contributed next to nothing, with the less experienced Gray stepping up instead.
The youngster mopped up in his deep position, breaking up Sunderland attacks, snatching up loose passes and then feeding his team-mates, usually off to either side of him. Bizarrely, though, Spurs looked reluctant to use him, which meant he took just 23 touches.
This was despite De Zerbi using Gray at the heart of his pre-match rondo, simulating his role as the midfield guardian. Whether this had been worked on during training remains a mystery, but the wonderkid was near faultless before being unceremoniously dragged off.
The substitution almost appeared to suggest that he had been at fault, but it had actually been the opposite. Without Gray, Spurs would have had zero control of the centre of the pitch. Their performance after conceding was another worrying indicator of life without him.
It speaks volumes that Gray is the only Spurs player safe from a possible fire sale this summer, while recent links to Liverpool should sound the alarm bells in N17.
How did Gray play vs Sunderland?
Gray’s stay at Tottenham has been turbulent to say the least. Despite his tender age, he has been used as Spurs’ swiss army knife, but this has raised concerns that he could go on to become a jack of all trades rather than a master of one.
It is obvious where his best position is.
In his first campaign, 53 per cent of his minutes in all competitions came at centre-back. Igor Tudor used him at both right and left-back before finally giving him a run in central midfield. Luckily, De Zerbi appears to have already realised where his strengths lie.
Acting as Spurs’ metronome for just over an hour against Sunderland, Gray completed 18 of his 20 attempted passes (90 per cent) and carried the ball seven times while losing it just twice, according to Sofascore. He also made three interceptions and two recoveries.
To his credit, he was not dribbled past by a single Sunderland player.
Regardless of whether Tottenham stay up, Gray will enjoy a glittering career. But if De Zerbi is willing to put his trust in him fully, maybe, just maybe, he can bail them out of trouble.
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