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

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and emphasis on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham hired the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both in major roles. Theirs is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an range of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest showings have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were outstanding with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results indicate Spurs should play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The figures are concerning. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home matches 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 first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Still, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more steadiness is necessary from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season suggests that their key approach is being exploited 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 flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The risk is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals 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 allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Success would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.