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At the time Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were evaluated. This was an extensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and emphasis on possession rendered him the best fit for Chelsea’s team of talented individuals. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both in major roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is more of a practical manager, more willing to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to deploy an range of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their best displays have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were superb with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results suggest Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The numbers are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a tricky game to read. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the last eight 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 responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Still, there is room for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 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 removal from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was angry 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 reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Frustration built 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 change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Data indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season indicates that their fundamental philosophy is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, highlighting a vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The threat is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their best performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a shift to a five-man defense on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a defensive approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this duel with Maresca.