There are not many things to be positive about when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur in the 2025/26 Premier League season. Although they put together a wonderful final 20 minutes, it was too little too late, and the excuses about the red cards will wear thin to Spurs supporters who simply see the 2-1 loss to Liverpool as yet another example of their beloved club getting outplayed and outclassed.
It was not half as embarrassing as the 4-1 loss to Arsenal or the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest the previous weekend, but if the bar is set at a loss cushioned by a couple of controversial red cards, then that is a bar beneath the most rat infested of gutters for a team that supposedly sold its fan base on competing for Premier League and Champions League trophies before the season started.
But all is not bad for Tottenham. That's because there are young, burgeoning talents in this side who are showing that they can be the future of the Premier League. Archie Gray, in particular, has been a real bright spot in the middle of the park this season, shining whenever Thomas Frank has given him opportunities to the point where the England international is now one of the first names on the team sheet.
Thomas Frank should listen to himself, too
Curiously, Thomas Frank gave Gray some advice that, while good and true to how the midfielder plays and should play, comes off as a bit hypocritical and a way of setting Gray up to fail when looking at the broader context of what Frank is doing at Tottenham.
See if you can find the fatal flaw in Frank's advice for Archie Gray, as relayed by the former Leeds United standout himself prior to the Tottenham loss to Liverpool. Gray said, via AllThings_THFC, âHe wants me to play forward as much as possible, thatâs the main thing. Weâve got a certain structure, and Iâve got a role in the system. We have two pivots and sometimes Iâll have the licence to get into the box. The main message before games is to be positive. Play forward, run forward, be as positive as you can.â
That "structure" Gray is referencing is clearly a losing one. It is terrible and is holding back Gray from being the guy who can play bravely and push the team forward, which is evidently what Frank wants. But see, Gray can not do what Frank wants because the entire team is not set up in that way. Gray is doing great things and the best he can with what he is given, but maybe Frank needs to take the advice he is giving to Gray and use it for himself and the other players in the side like, say, Rodrigo Bentancur.