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At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were considered. It was an thorough process that involved the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and emphasis on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying high-profile roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is more of a practical manager, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to deploy an variety of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive displays have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were outstanding with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an outstanding pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results suggest Spurs might sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals 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 onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, 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 mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

However, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such 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 banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more steadiness is necessary from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Disappointment grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season suggests that their fundamental philosophy 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 extremes. The threat is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

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

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more strategic. Is a switch 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 note that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

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

But this is one game where the ends may validate the method. Spurs fans will not object if a cautious approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would boost Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this duel with Maresca.