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When Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. It was an extensive process that involved the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally opted for Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding major roles. Theirs is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some tight duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more willing to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an array of effective set-piece routines, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have ceded the initiative. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

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

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain skeptical 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 immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment 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 peak this season implies that their core identity is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The danger is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also comes to mind.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth noting 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. Variety is a advantage. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them freedom? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. 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 observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, 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 one-dimensional in general play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.