Archie Gray has spoken about the invaluable experience of captaining a young Tottenham side in their clash against Auckland FC.Roberto De Zerbi has been taking precautions in pre-season when it comes to managing the minutes of his senior players.Against Auckland FC, following the long trip to Oceania, De Zerbi continued his cautious approach, choosing not to start any of his first-team regulars from the off.A lot of responsibility was placed on the Tottenham youngsters, who delivered an outstanding performance and helped Spurs to a 2-0 win over the A-League champions.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / InstagramArchie Gray reflects on Auckland FC pre-season testWith no one from the leadership group on the pitch in the first half, the captaincy fell to Archie Gray, who led the young Tottenham side.The midfielder was impressive, earning a 7.6 rating on FotMob after playing 63 minutes. His underlying numbers highlighted his influence as he contributed across the pitch.StatTotalAccurate passes33/39 (85%)Chances created2Big chances created1Defensive contributions4Touches48Touches in opposition box1Successful dribbles1/1 (100%)Passes into final third8Accurate crosses1/1 (100%)Recoveries5Dribbled past0Ground duels won4/5 (80%)Speaking to the club’s official media channels after the match, Gray reflected on the challenge of facing Auckland FC with such a youthful side. The midfielder explained what the occasion was like for the academy players and why the experience will stand them in good stead as they continue their development.He said when asked about the test against Auckland: “Yeah, definitely it was a really good experience for everyone. Especially in the first half we had a really young team, and you know, I thought we did really well in the first half and obviously the second half as well, our a lot more experienced players came on. “But for us, young players, a really good experience, you know, playing out here in front of a forty thousand people it’s really good to.”Archie Gray opens up on Tottenham captaincy and De Zerbi’s styleSpeaking to the club’s official media channels, Gray also discussed the significance of playing at Eden Park before opening up on the pride he felt captaining Spurs. He added: “Yeah, definitely. I think just being around it. It’s just there’s so much history from the All Blacks, and you know, the teams that have come there and played here and all the amazing games that have happened here. I’ve seen them on TV. It’s yeah, it’s a privilege to play here.”On captaining the side, he continued: “Yeah, it was a special feeling even though it was a preseason game, it’s, you know a priceless feeling, and I’m very proud and it show me lucky to be to be in that position, and yeah, just very happy.”The midfielder then explained how pre-season under De Zerbi has been progressing, the balance between building fitness and learning the new style of play, and his excitement ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign.Speaking about what pre-season has been like thus far, he stated: “Yeah it definitely we’re just, you know, understanding the gaffers style of play even more. Training session every game. And these preseason games are great opportunity for that, so yeah.”On balancing fitness and learning the style of play, he added: “Yeah, definitely. I think obviously pre seasons for you know, get getting fit as well. You know, the Premier League is the fittest league in the world. And you’ve got to get up to speed, so yeah.”Speaking about the upcoming Premier League campaign, he continued: “Yeah, definitely. Um, I can’t wait. It’s hopefully going to be a good season. You know, looking forward to it, so yeah.”READ MORE: Ledley King reveals if he ever seriously considered leaving TottenhamThe post Archie Gray opens up on ‘priceless’ feeling of being Tottenham captain appeared first on Spurs Web.