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When Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were in contention. This was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually opted for Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying prestigious roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some close encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more willing to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to unveil an range of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca tends towards a strict philosophy. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their best showings have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were excellent with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs might play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The figures are concerning. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils against low blocks.

The situation is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Still, there is potential for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is necessary from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season suggests that their key approach is being weaponised and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The threat is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a positive attribute. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. 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 observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily align with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the ends may justify the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s reign. How he would love to win this duel with Maresca.