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

The feeling was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s team of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they shared some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more inclined to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an variety of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their best showings have come in games where they have surrendered the possession. They were outstanding with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances suggest Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained 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 toils against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is scope for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture 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 reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment built 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 switch to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics 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 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, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The risk is falling into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

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

Will Frank allow 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 more cautious. Is a shift to a five-man defense 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 gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in general play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach halts a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. A win would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this contest with Maresca.