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When Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. It was an comprehensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and emphasis on possession rendered him the best fit for Chelsea’s team of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding high-profile roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest performances have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were outstanding with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures 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 last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

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

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more consistency is necessary from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment mounted 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 switch to a back five flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Data indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season implies that their core identity is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The danger is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their best performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a positive attribute. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more strategic. Is a shift to a five-man defense on the cards? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the means. Spurs fans will not mind if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Success would energize Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this contest with Maresca.