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At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. This was an extensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding high-profile roles. Theirs is not currently a established rivalry, but they had some tight encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive showings have come in games where they have surrendered the control. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances suggest Spurs ought to play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the lowest 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 first place and unbeaten 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 skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is potential for progress, 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 technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more consistency is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Irritation built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers 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 fundamental philosophy is being used against them 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 highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The threat is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

Maresca disagrees, 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. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be smarter. Is a shift to a back five possible? 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 improved at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative burden 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 unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would boost Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.