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At the time Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were in contention. It was an comprehensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately selected Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s team of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham appointed the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding prestigious roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure 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 decent games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to execute an array of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s 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 defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their best showings have come in games where they have relinquished the control. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Still, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success 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 angry with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Data showing 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 core identity is being weaponised and turned on them.

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, emphasizing a vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The danger is slipping into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

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

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a switch to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a heavy creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable 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 defensive approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would energize Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.