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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were in contention. This was an extensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding major roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to execute an array of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive displays have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were superb with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs ought to play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, resulting from the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more steadiness is necessary from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Numbers showing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season indicates that their core identity is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their most impressive performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a positive attribute. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them freedom? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a shift to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a significant creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach ends a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.