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At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were evaluated. This was an extensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both in prestigious roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they shared some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure 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 fascinating by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a practical manager, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an array of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values 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 inherently a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have surrendered the possession. They were excellent with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences indicate Spurs should adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The numbers are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a tricky game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to 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 lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are managing reasonably well. 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 had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Still, there is potential for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

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

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss 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 studied his opponent. Statistics revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum 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 most possession last season, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The risk is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth recalling 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 advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. Is a switch to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. 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 done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in general play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may justify the method. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this contest with Maresca.