Tottenham missed a bit of a trick on Sunday afternoon and not just with their result against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light that plunged them deeper into the relegation mire at the bottom of the Premier League table, but with one of their best players in a dismal season.
Spurs were somewhat unlucky to go down to a 1-0 defeat away at the Black Cats, with Nordi Mukiele's deflected strike the difference between the two teams on the day.
It was Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge at Tottenham, following his appointment during the international break to replace interim boss Igor Tudor on a permanent basis.
De Zerbi Made Tactical Switch That Did Not Pay Off
And while there were some encouraging signs in an attacking sense in the first half, it was the same old situation at the back as Spurs looked vulnerable.
And the second half petered out once Sunderland went in front and De Zerbi made changes - most noticeably in the middle of the park.
The Italian removed Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray right after the goal, to be replaced by Pape Matar Sarr and Joao Palhinha and any intent was lost.
It was the use of Gray throughout the match, not just his withdrawal after the goal, that was particularly perplexing. The England U21 international appeared to be being utilised as a single pivot in front of a back four, with Bergvall and Conor Gallagher ahead of him and then Randal Kolo Muani, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke ahead of them.
But while Gray was always an option, Spurs did not always use him. He only actually touched the ball 23 times, which is maddening given he has been Spurs' best performer for much of this season.
Not only that, but the warm-up appeared to suggest he was going to be an integral cog in the De Zerbi machine too.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, football.london's Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold described his use at the Stadium of Light "crazy".
He said: "He's a clever tactical player with a good technique, he can ping a ball over the top as well, and they didn't use him in any progressive way at all. He only touched the ball 23 times, which made what they were doing in the warm-up all the more baffling for me, because I was watching the warm-up before the game, because I just wanted to see what little different things were happening under De Zerbi compared to the previously, and what they did.
Archie Gray Decision Was Baffling During Sunderland Vs Tottenham
"He was watching on, De Zerbi, and they organised this big rondo and it was essentially to get the players used to pressing, pressure, passing around it, and everything around it before the game started, just to get their head into that space and everything in it went around Archie Gray.
"So while other players had different bibs, and if they lost the ball, they switched, Archie Gray was among the middle group, but not as a tackler or a presser, but someone they were able to use to pass the ball to and he would knock it off to someone else. He was the hub. He was kind of meant to be the go-to man for everyone, anyone looking to a pass it, as if to say, 'when you get on the pitch, that's what to do, look for Archie, Archie will be there, he'll use the ball well, he'll turn, he'll do this, he'll do that', whatever, because he's probably one of the most energetic players, he's able to get into good positions to help people out, find a little bit of space.
"Yet that never happened. It wasn't a tactic that they took into the game. It was really weird. They mostly bypassed him. They would just knock the ball over his head. I just thought it was crazy."