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

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more fascinating by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to deploy an array of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca tends towards a strict philosophy. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign 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 rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their best displays have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were superb with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs should play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The figures are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a lack of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall 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 going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Yet, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 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 banishment from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Numbers showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season indicates that their core identity is being weaponised and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The risk is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

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

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a switch to a back five 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 observe that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not object if a defensive approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.