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At the time Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were evaluated. This was an comprehensive process that involved the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying prestigious roles. Their relationship is not currently a established rivalry, but they shared some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an array of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have surrendered the possession. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances suggest Spurs should play on the counter when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a lack of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

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

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

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest 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 highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The risk is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering 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. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a change to a back five possible? 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 align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may justify the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this contest with Maresca.