Tottenham Hotspur utility man Archie Gray believes head coach Roberto De Zerbi’s decision to take the squad to Spain for a warm-weather bonding trip has transformed their domestic season. The north London outfit have reeled off three consecutive victories since returning from Marbella and now sit ninth ahead of a trip to Elland Road.
Spanish camp sparks winning run
Gray has praised the impact of his club’s retreat following last month’s 1-1 stalemate against Manchester United at Old Trafford. That result stretched Tottenham’s winless start to six games and sparked fears among fans of another relegation battle like last term. Since returning from Spain, however, De Zerbi’s side have defeated Coventry City 3-1 before recording two-goal triumphs away at Chelsea and at home to Crystal Palace.
Team spirit drives recent revival
Finding their rhythm on the pitch has coincided with a closer bond inside the dressing room as the players adapt to their Italian manager’s demands.
Speaking to SpursPlayabout the turnaround in form, Gray said: “The Marbella trip would have obviously helped and just getting to know each other. Being like almost brothers on the pitch, that’s something the gaffer talks about all the time and that is what we’re trying to do.
“We all get on really well, and you can see that out there on the pitch. Even with the celebration, all the subs are running to the players, and they are little things that mean so much to us. That’s the most important thing and why we’ve been improving.
“It’s really important to get three wins on the bounce. It hasn’t happened for quite a long time and to do that was really important.”
Early caution prompts half-time withdrawal
Operating largely at right-back across seven starts in nine league outings this season after Pedro Porro suffered a hamstring injury during September’s 3-2 loss to Aston Villa, the 20-year-old headed Spurs in front past Dean Henderson midway through the first half against Palace on Saturday. However, having been booked in the 15th minute shortly after visiting striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off for a high boot on captain Micky van de Ven, Gray was replaced at the interval by fit-again Porro, who made his second consecutive substitute appearance.
Admitting he was disappointed to come off early against the 10-man Eagles, the youngster added: “Yeah, I was [gutted] to be fair, but I was on a yellow card, and we didn’t want to take any risks. I think it’s a really important time for us. I think we have improved so much over the past couple of weeks. We’re more of a team, we’re more together and yeah, we’re just performing better because we’re working for each other on the pitch.”
Elland Road reunion awaits youngster
Gray now prepares to face his former club Leeds on Saturday lunchtime as ninth-placed Tottenham target a fourth straight win prior to the upcoming international break. With Porro building up his match sharpness off the bench against Chelsea and Palace, De Zerbi faces a selection call at right-back for the trip to West Yorkshire. Extending their winning streak would further cement Spurs’ climb into the top half.
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