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At the time Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were in contention. It was an comprehensive process that involved the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally opted for Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s team of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham hired the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an range of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their best performances have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were superb with a defensive setup 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 suggest Spurs should sit back when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The numbers are disappointing. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a hard game to call. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, caused by the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

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

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Statistics showing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season suggests that their key approach is being exploited 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 highest possession stats last season, underscoring a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

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

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. Is a switch to a back five on the cards? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching 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 match Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.