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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an comprehensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and emphasis on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham appointed the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both holding major roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to deploy an variety of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola school; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not naturally a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest performances have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were outstanding with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results point to Spurs should play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the worst 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 reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Still, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more steadiness is required from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season indicates that their key approach is being weaponised and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank allow them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be smarter. Is a change to a back five on the cards? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in from open situations. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may validate the method. Spurs fans will not object if a cautious approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this duel with Maresca.