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When Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s team of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both in prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 loss 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 fascinating by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to unveil an array of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s 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 defensive side – they are 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 relinquished the initiative. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches 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 world champions and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Yet, there is scope for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more consistency is necessary from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data showing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season indicates that their fundamental philosophy is being exploited 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 most possession last season, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The risk is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their best performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a advantage. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more strategic. Is a shift to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in open play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may justify the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.