Roberto De Zerbi dialed up a different plan for Tottenham Hotspur on Monday Night Football, rolling with a back three to start the game as Micky van de Ven, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Tosin Adarabioyo shined with Andy Robertson and Mohammed Kudus playing in wing roles. That enabled Archie Gray to finally not play at right back in relief of Pedro Porro, who remains injured with hopes he can return next weekend against rivals Chelsea, as the young England international slotted in a highly technical midfield trio with veteran Premier League stars Sandro Tonali and James Maddison.
And while Maddison stole the show with a brilliant goal and did a great job of drawing fouls and shuttling the ball in the final third as a passer and progressor, you could argue that in terms of his all around effectiveness, Gray was the most impressive of the Spurs midfielders at starting attacks and getting Spurs into positions where they could really start to hurt Coventry.
Gray was one of Tottenham's best players last season, and even though veteran Uruguayan international Rodrigo Bentancur has been brilliant and resurgent under Roberto De Zerbi both in last season's successful relegation fight and at the beginning of this difficult 2026/27 campaign, Spurs fans have not forgotten that it was Gray who convincingly supplanted Bentancur as a starter last season - even in the Thomas Frank era.
Archie Gray is the future of Tottenham
And in this 3-1 win over Coventry, Gray shone brightly for Tottenham Hotspur with two key passes, two dribbles completed, and two fouls drawn as a well rounded, almost foundational piece of the attack in the middle of the park.
Tottenham fans know that Gray is the future of this team, and while he has risen up to be a more competent option at right back, playing at a very high level in the recent 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford, it is obvious that playing him there consistently is not what's best for him, the team, or, most importantly, his development into the next great English midfielder.
Watching Gray in the midfield was a sight to behold, and seeing De Zerbi choose this staggered back three with Robertson more of a left back and Kudus more of a right winger really did work. Not only did Tottenham win the game, but they got to pull Gray out of the right back position while still having an attacking presence on the right flank - and Robbo being in an unbalanced set up got exposed less, too.
Add us as a preferred source on Google