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

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham appointed the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more fascinating by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an array of clinical set-piece routines, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not naturally a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest performances have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were outstanding with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results point to Spurs should play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The numbers are disappointing. Spurs’ return 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 tricky game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Still, there is scope for improvement, 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 dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Statistics 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 weaponised and turned on them.

This is not a new issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The threat is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank allow them freedom? 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 allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct 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, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the means. Spurs fans will not complain if a defensive approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Success would boost Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.