Archie Gray: position and style of play

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The fact that Tottenham spent in the region of £30m to sign an 18-year-old says plenty about how highly rated Archie Gray is. He may have joined Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs while still a teenager, but his performances for Leeds United prior to his transfer displayed a maturity beyond his years.

Born in Durham in 2006, Gray comes from a family with plenty of football pedigree, not least where Leeds are concerned. He is the son of former Leeds player and Scotland international, Andy Gray; and both his grandad, Frank, and great uncle, Eddie, played for iconic Leeds teams managed by Don Revie. His three younger brothers, meanwhile, have all played for the club’s academy.

At the age of just 15, Archie was selected as a substitute by Marcelo Bielsa, but had to wait until he was 17 to make his debut for the first team. He went on to make 55 appearances for Leeds in all competitions in his first senior campaign, as well as winning two England Under-21 caps. Then Tottenham came calling for a player Postecoglou has described as “intelligent”.

Ahead of his first Premier League season, our UEFA-licensed coaches have analysed Archie Gray’s time with Leeds United, including analysis of the positions he has featured in.

Technical analysis

Gray played mostly as a right-back for Leeds, with some outings in central midfield. No matter the position he played, though, defensive duelling and 1v1 defending were important parts of his game.

Spending most of the 2023/24 season as a full-back meant he naturally covered and protected from the wide areas. Where possible, he liked to get touch-tight to his opponent, and was very good at predicting passes into wide opponents. He was also adept at recognising straight passes into an opposing winger; from there, his aggression and tight marking stopped opponents from turning. This enabled him to limit forward play and protect the wide areas.

However, when the distance to his opponent was too big – or his specific winger opponent was particularly proficient at turning or spinning off one touch – then this aggressive jump could be worked around. His area of the pitch was then left exposed, or not defended as efficiently as it could have been.

When Gray did manage his distances well and it was appropriate to lunge at the ball – or duel, tussle or compete for possession – he did so with strength and confidence. He was just as effective when engaging with the ball in his own half, in a traditional full-back manner, as he was when pressing high up the pitch (below), which is ideal for the various strategies and moments that arise in a game.

When supporting a press, Gray used the touchline well to force play around. At Leeds, he curved his approach to the ball outwards, using his explosive push-off, especially from a standing start. Over relatively short distances, he jumped out of line to press and duel, limiting the time the opposition had to play forward.

When operating in a covering role – or a secondary defensive position, supporting a teammate applying pressure on the ball – Gray was disciplined in tracking opposing runs and movements. His appearances in central midfield were helpful, here. When playing in midfield he came up against penetrative movements – usually a number-eight run – inside a full-back committed to pressing (below).

Gray’s experience of tracking this type of run likely sharpened his awareness of the importance of tracking and covering this particular area of the pitch. It should also mean he recognises additional details on how to approach the ball, as the full-back committing to jump out, when defending against this common pattern of play.

In possession

Gray is an accomplished passer, especially when looking to play forward. He has a high passing rate into the final third, which requires teammates to make forward runs, or to be positioned against, between or around the opposing back line. When needed, he can switch the ball well, but his best passing attribute has been exploiting the space inside the opposition’s left-back.

Targeting the gap between the centre-back and full-back requires both precision and timing. Gray demonstrated this in his breakout season, with deft through balls, clipped, bending passes over, and well-timed punched passes with speed and directness that found narrowed runners in behind (below).

Not only was the detail usually very good on these passes, but the variety he demonstrated allowed for differing runs from teammates and positions. Narrowed wingers, advancing central midfielders and withdrawn centre-forwards all benefited from this particular pass from Gray, while his team gained territory up the pitch.

Full-back

Within Leeds United’s 4-2-3-1 shape, Gray would often move high during build-up, usually ending in line with – and sometimes higher than – his double-pivot teammates. Ahead, the nine and 10 pairing of Georginio Rutter and Joël Piroe rotated, often performing well-timed opposite movements. One would look to penetrate in behind the opposing back line, stretching and pushing them deeper. This provided Gray with a central run beyond, where he could clip balls over, or slide them around the opposing centre-backs. This particular run also created more room for those between the lines, allowing Gray to reverse delicate passes back inside, finding the deeper of the two central attackers. Although this pass was effective, Gray could certainly do this more in the coming years.

The narrowed wingers also allowed Gray to connect with passes back inside, as right wingers Dan James or Wilfried Gnonto worked inwards, off the ball, to receive at feet. Alternatively, due to their pace and acceleration, Gray could use his forward passing to exploit the space inside the opposing left-back (below).

With these passing options, Gray delivered the fourth-highest number of passes into the final third for Leeds in 2023/24. He was fifth-highest for losing possession, but given it was his first year in senior football, and he was brave with trying to play forward, that was to be expected.

Without the ball, Gray supported James and Gnonto’s pressing in the wide areas, always willing to back them up and support from underneath. He understood when to pass on his man to the central defence – Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon – so that he could fully commit and join a high press. Gray’s defensive presence high up the pitch allowed Leeds to apply regular pressure in the opponent’s half, with the second-lowest PPDA in the 2023/24 Championship. Supported and covered by the double pivot of Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara, Gray’s defensive support from wide right played its part in Leeds reaching the playoff final.

Central midfield

Gray briefly appeared in central midfield for Leeds, either as part of the double pivot, or as the sole number 10 in the 4-2-3-1. Although he was naturally on the ball more when operating in the central spaces, what really stood out was his continued commitment to duelling, pressing, covering for teammates and his overall energy in the middle of the pitch.

As a result, Gray competed for the eighth-most defensive duels in the 2023/24 Championship, and the most for Leeds. As the 10 and as part of the double pivot, his energy and commitment helped press the central spaces, but also counter-press in the moments they lost possession. Not only did Leeds average the third-highest possession in the division, but they were also the third-highest overall for challenge intensity. That statistic is a combination of duels, tackles and interceptions per minute of opposition possession.

To achieve such a high-possession/high-pressing style over a 46-game Championship season, multiple players needed to back each other up – especially in aggressive and intense moments when competing for possession. Supported by his pivot partner, Gray was aggressive in his pressing, limiting how much his direct opponent could get on the half-turn and play forward. He also showed this in his full-back role.

Further supported by narrow wingers and the dropping nine and/or 10, Gray was a solid part of Leeds’ central counter-pressing (above). When he won possession, he looked to exploit inside the opposition’s full-back and find the wingers, penetrating the inside channels.

Overall, it was a highly impressive first season at senior level for Gray. As he steps up to Premier League level, the challenges will increase. But it was only going to be a matter of time before he appeared in England’s top flight.

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Author: The Coaches' Voice