The Tottenham Hotspur rollercoaster is showing no signs of slowing down as Ange Postecoglou’s charges fell to yet another defeat to mid-lower table opposition.
The same Spurs team that hammered the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa is now losing against the likes of Brighton, Crystal Palace and Ipswich with alarming regularity.
Tottenham’s latest defeat to a mid-table team came on Thursday night as Bournemouth ran out 1-0 winners against the Lilywhites at the Vitality Stadium.
Dean Huijsen’s 17th-minute goal proved enough for the Cherries to defeat Tottenham and move above them in the table, though it could’ve been worse for Spurs.
Evanilson saw a second-half goal ruled out for a marginal offside call, while Bournemouth also had a late penalty call waved away.
And to make things worse for Tottenham, they lost Ben Davies to an apparent hamstring injury, further reducing their pool of available centre-backs.
Archie Gray, who started at right-back, was forced to move across to fill as the left centre-back alongside Radu Dragusin.
Needless to say, Tottenham fans were not impressed by everything that led to this decision being made.
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Tottenham fans not impressed as Archie Gray forced to cover at centre-back
Tottenham fans bemoaned the fact the club resisted bringing in cover at centre-back in the summer, which has led to this sorry state of affairs.
Spurs fans also felt sorry for Gray, who is a midfielder by trade but has now played across the entire back line since joining the Lilywhites.
How the media rated Archie Gray v Bournemouth
The Express gave Gray a 7 out of 10 and wrote: ‘Brought into the side as part of Postecoglou’s rotation plans, but unlike some of his counterparts, Archie Gray held his own for Spurs.
‘A bright spark going forward, the teenager continues to impress in the Tottenham first-team.’
Meanwhile, football.london gave him 6 out of 10 and wrote: ‘The 18-year-old raced back to make a perfect sliding challenge on the breaking Kluivert in the first half.
‘Switched to playing as the left centre-back after Davies went off. He gave everything in an unnatural role for him.’
The Evening Standard also gave Gray a 6 out of 10 and wrote: ‘Demonstrated his versatility by switching from right back to centre-half after Ben Davies was injured.
‘Did not look out of place on his first Premier League start and sent a left-foot shot at Kepa.’
Finally, The Spurs News went with a 6 out of 10, writing: ‘Archie Gray did a good job slotting in at right-back in what was his first Premier League start.
The 18-year-old did some nice defensive actions. Was moved to centre-back when Ben Davies was forced off with an injury.’
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