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When Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were in contention. It was an extensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster 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 parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both occupying prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some tight duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat 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 adaptable coach, more inclined to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to unveil an array of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards a strict philosophy. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola school; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive displays have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were excellent 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 destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results indicate Spurs ought to sit back when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard game to call. 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 unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained 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 doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

However, 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 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 displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also pondering 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 attacking midfielders.

Disappointment mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season implies that their core identity is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a new issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The threat is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling 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. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a switch to a back five on the cards? 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 straightforward does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, 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 erratic.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s time in charge. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.