Tottenham Hotspur’s trip Down Under ended with a dramatic, last-gasp Richarlison goal in a 2-1 win over Chelsea, their chief bogey side, to mark a fitting moment for a club intent on a fresh start.After a 30-hour trip from London to Auckland, the players and coaches landed in New Zealand in the early hours of last Saturday morning, and started their first day with a cultural welcome from a local Maori tribe.Ngati Whatua Orakei, the Auckland-based tangata whenua (people of the land), performed a powhiri, a traditional Maori welcoming ceremony, for Tottenham’s 35-man travelling playing squad, as well as senior members of staff. An elder statesman of the group explained the tradition, and how honouring and remembering their ancestors is a central part of the Maori belief system. He also joked that he hoped Auckland would “give (Tottenham) a good hiding” and remarked on the British sense of humour, prompting one or two confused looks from members of the squad, who appeared taken aback by his informality, perhaps expecting a more serious speech.Club chief executive Vinai Venkatesham thanked the Ngati Whatua Orakei for their welcome before he, along with several senior members of staff and the playing squad, including Roberto De Zerbi, were invited to touch noses and foreheads with the tribe, a traditional Maori greeting, another symbolic gesture of unity.Micky van de Ven during the traditional Maori welcome ceremony (Phil Walter/Getty Images)The relaxed atmosphere at Tottenham’s Auckland waterfront hotel — which was also hosting A-list Hollywood actors Jack Black and Kirsten Dunst, who are on location in New Zealand shooting the Minecraft 2 film — set the vibe for a tour that the club will reflect on positively.One player who made an impression in Auckland was Archie Gray, who captained the team in all three games on tour. De Zerbi and the performance staff approached the pre-season tour with sensible caution, ensuring the squad were not rushed into any unnecessarily heavy physical exertion a month before the start of the Premier League season — but Gray’s impressive condition was such that he played 62 minutes and captained a young side, days after the long-haul travel and starting in the 1-0 behind-closed-doors friendly win over Milton Keynes Dons.The 20-year-old started that game as a single deep-lying midfielder and looked a cut above in the first half, before captaining the side again as part of a midfield pivot with Lucas Bergvall a few days later in the 1-1 draw with Sydney, but there were signs that midfield may not be the position he starts the season in. Pedro Porro is not due back until around a week before Tottenham’s first game of the season against Brentford, and while he is recognised as a physical outlier by club performance staff, he may not be ready to start the opener after celebrating his World Cup win with Spain.In their final game of the tour, the 2-1 win over Chelsea, Gray started next to Jan Paul van Hecke at right-back, and close to Lucas Bergvall, who was the right-sided central midfielder in a pairing with Sandro Tonali. De Zerbi teased that system in front of a small crowd at the Allianz Stadium during an open session the night before.