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Archie Gray
- Thread starter mjc23
- Start date
Long article on Gray, some pieces below
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/77...jp&source=emp_shared_article&smid=re-share-ta
English football has plenty of idiosyncrasies: the away day, the 92, Bovril. Perhaps the strangest of all, though, is its deep desire to reject the idea that a talented youngster might actually be a right-back.
While Brazil adores its full-back technicians and Italy affords the flying wing-back appropriate reverence, England still holds the archaic view that it’s an inherently defensive and unimaginative role.
For many, Gary Neville, an eight-time Premier League winner with Manchester United and capped 85 times by England, still represents the archetypal full-back: tough-tackling, dependable, understated — an under-sized centre-back pushed one spot further out to hide his vertical deficiencies.
But in a nation where “no one wants to grow up and become Gary Neville”, as his Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher once quipped, the idea that somebody is “settling” for being played at right-back can harm their development.
Gray has been deployed in several spots since moving to Tottenham in summer 2024 with the aim of making the middle of the park his long-term home.
And while he was part of an impressive double-pivot in a 3-1 home win against Coventry two weeks ago, with first-choice Pedro Porro sidelined through injury and a lack of match fitness after helping Spain win the World Cup, Gray has played 535 of his 625 league minutes this season at right-back — a role that, under head coach Roberto De Zerbi, suits many of his technical and physical qualities.
As the graphic above demonstrates, Gray at right-back is effectively a right central midfielder with a direct defensive assignment. When Spurs have dominated possession at home, as shown in the Everton and Crystal Palace touch maps, he has seen a lot of the ball in the right half-space of the opposition half — allowing him to drive his team forward with passing and physicality.
This is something he has done extremely well from that position since his debut season at Leeds.
Though Gray is an accurate passer — he completed 46 of his 47 attempts against Palace on Saturday before being substituted at half-time because he picked up a yellow card — with the capacity to break lines given time and space, he is much more effective at this point in his career as a ball-carrier.
Gray can hurt the opposition through the heart of the pitch in the rare event he gets the opportunity to stretch his legs in midfield, but that area is typically more congested than out wide, requiring a level of technical security at Premier League level to which he has not always adjusted. From right-back, he can use his athleticism on the overlap, occasionally through the middle, and, most frequently this term, as an effective foil for Mohammed Kudus and Savio on the underlap.
The underlap has been a favoured tactic of De Zerbi’s in the final third, with Spurs using it on 59 occasions across this season’s opening nine games — 17 more than anyone else in the division. As that same graph above also demonstrates, Gray is a willing runner into these spaces, making the most underlapping runs among all Premier League players with 20
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/77...jp&source=emp_shared_article&smid=re-share-ta
Were we wrong about Archie Gray not being a right-back?
English football has plenty of idiosyncrasies: the away day, the 92, Bovril. Perhaps the strangest of all, though, is its deep desire to reject the idea that a talented youngster might actually be a right-back.
While Brazil adores its full-back technicians and Italy affords the flying wing-back appropriate reverence, England still holds the archaic view that it’s an inherently defensive and unimaginative role.
For many, Gary Neville, an eight-time Premier League winner with Manchester United and capped 85 times by England, still represents the archetypal full-back: tough-tackling, dependable, understated — an under-sized centre-back pushed one spot further out to hide his vertical deficiencies.
But in a nation where “no one wants to grow up and become Gary Neville”, as his Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher once quipped, the idea that somebody is “settling” for being played at right-back can harm their development.
Gray has been deployed in several spots since moving to Tottenham in summer 2024 with the aim of making the middle of the park his long-term home.
And while he was part of an impressive double-pivot in a 3-1 home win against Coventry two weeks ago, with first-choice Pedro Porro sidelined through injury and a lack of match fitness after helping Spain win the World Cup, Gray has played 535 of his 625 league minutes this season at right-back — a role that, under head coach Roberto De Zerbi, suits many of his technical and physical qualities.
As the graphic above demonstrates, Gray at right-back is effectively a right central midfielder with a direct defensive assignment. When Spurs have dominated possession at home, as shown in the Everton and Crystal Palace touch maps, he has seen a lot of the ball in the right half-space of the opposition half — allowing him to drive his team forward with passing and physicality.
This is something he has done extremely well from that position since his debut season at Leeds.
Though Gray is an accurate passer — he completed 46 of his 47 attempts against Palace on Saturday before being substituted at half-time because he picked up a yellow card — with the capacity to break lines given time and space, he is much more effective at this point in his career as a ball-carrier.
Gray can hurt the opposition through the heart of the pitch in the rare event he gets the opportunity to stretch his legs in midfield, but that area is typically more congested than out wide, requiring a level of technical security at Premier League level to which he has not always adjusted. From right-back, he can use his athleticism on the overlap, occasionally through the middle, and, most frequently this term, as an effective foil for Mohammed Kudus and Savio on the underlap.
The underlap has been a favoured tactic of De Zerbi’s in the final third, with Spurs using it on 59 occasions across this season’s opening nine games — 17 more than anyone else in the division. As that same graph above also demonstrates, Gray is a willing runner into these spaces, making the most underlapping runs among all Premier League players with 20
robp135
Gerry Armstrong
If he commits to RB he will become Englands first choice.
Bishop
Jack Jull
He's going to struggle to be England's No1 if hes not the No1 for us...