Leeds United have it all to play for when they welcome Norwich City to Elland Road in the second leg of the Championship play-offs on Thursday night.
The Whites played out a 0-0 draw with the Canaries in Norfolk on Sunday as neither team managed to create many high-quality chances throughout the match.
There were only three shots on target in total, with two of those coming from the away side, and it has left it all to play for for both teams later this week.
Daniel Farke's men know that a win at their own ground on Thursday night will see them book a place at Wembley in the final, where they would face either Southampton or West Bromwich Albion, whose first leg tie also finished 0-0 on Sunday.
The German head coach could look to make some changes to the starting XI that was selected at Carrow Road, and one player who should be brutally binned from the lineup is teenage sensation Archie Gray.
He was picked to play in a number ten role behind Georginio Rutter at the top end of the pitch but it was an experiment that ultimately failed to provide the team with an attacking threat.
Archie Gray's performance against Norwich in numbers
The 18-year-old talent whizzed about the pitch trying to close down opposition players to ensure that the likes of Marcelino Nunez and Kenny McLean did not get too much time on the ball to pick out their passes.
However, his work in physical duels and in possession of the ball left far too much to be desired, which is why he should be dropped back down to the bench after flopping in that area of the pitch.
Gray lost five of his seven duels on the ground, as opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him in contests on the deck, but did win three of his five aerial battles – losing seven out of 12 duels in total.
This suggests that the England U21 international did not offer much in the way of physicality, as he lost the majority of his clashes with Norwich players.
Minutes played
90
Key passes
0
Passed made
10/16
Dribbles completed
0/3
Crosses completed
0/0
Long passes completed
0/0
Possession lost
14x
As you can see in the table above, Gray's work with the ball at his feet was not much better as he struggled throughout the match in Norfolk, in a new role.
The teenage whiz, who has mainly been deployed in a holding midfield or right-back position, did not step up to the mark as a number ten from an attacking perspective.
He only completed ten passes in the entire match, despite playing the full 90 minutes, and did not create any chances or complete a single long pass, cross, or dribble, which illustrates that it was a no-show from him in the play-off clash.
Football Insider's Callum O'Connell handed Gray a player rating of just 1/10 for his dismal display, citing the fact that the midfielder lost possession of the ball more times than he completed passes.
It was a disappointing performance from the young gem, due to his big struggles in and out of possession throughout the game, but Farke also played him in an unnatural role in a huge play-off game, which was not an easy situation for him to be dropped in to.
He has been a fantastic performer for Leeds in the Championship this season and this no-show against Norwich was not a fair reflection of his quality.
Archie Gray's form this season
The 18-year-old sensation was named the Championship Young Player of the Season last month for his performances at right-back and central midfield in the second tier.
He featured in 44 of the club's 46 regular season matches and started 40 of those games. In that time, Gray showcased his ability to progress the ball consistently from a full-back role.
The English dynamo currently ranks within the top 31% of Championship full-backs for progressive passes per 90 (4.15), the top 17% for pass accuracy (82.8%), and the top 20% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.08).
This shows that he has been above average among his positional peers at progressing the play through taking opposition players on and passing the ball to his teammates in dangerous positions.
He also made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game and won 55% of his duels in total, which shows that the academy graduate has largely been solid defensively with more than half of his battles won overall.
However, his talents were not utilised correctly in the 0-0 draw with Norwich as Gray struggled badly in a number ten role, and that is why he should be brutally binned on Thursday.
The alternatives to Archie Gray
Farke could drop Rutter back into the attacking midfield position and then unleash Joel Piroe or Mateo Joseph from the start as the centre-forward.
The French ace, who started upfront at Carrow Road, created 22 'big chances' and registered 15 assists in 44 starts during the regular season, which shows that he has the quality to create high-quality chances for his teammates at an impressive rate.
This makes him ideal for the number ten role as the ex-Hoffenheim starlet can pick the ball up in pockets of space and look to thread passes in the final third to split open the opposition's defence.
Piroe could then be brought in to start over Gray to offer an attacking threat as Leeds, hopefully, look to finish the tie in normal time at Elland Road on Thursday night.
The Dutch marksman scored 13 goals from 12.74 xG (Expected Goals) in the Championship this season, which shows that he has largely been a reliable finisher when chances have come his way.
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However, the left-footed ace has also lost 62% of his duels and Farke may worry that Ben Gibson and Shane Duffy would find it too easy to get the better of him in physical battles.
In a one-off match, though, with Wembley on the line, Leeds may want to call upon his lethal instincts in the penalty box to fire the side through to the final of the play-offs, rather than sticking with Gray after his failed experiment as an attacking midfielder.
