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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an extensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and emphasis on possession rendered him the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham appointed the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in major roles. Theirs is not currently a established rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought 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 drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes dominance 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 ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their best displays 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 outstanding 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 host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The figures are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a difficult game to read. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win 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 displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Frustration 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 back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season suggests that their key approach is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The threat is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a shift to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. A win would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.