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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a replacement 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 finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next chance. Passed over by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both in major roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is more of a practical manager, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to execute an range of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest showings have come in games where they have surrendered the control. They were excellent with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences point to Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous 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 dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Data indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season implies that their core identity 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 highest possession stats last season, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The risk is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a shift to a five-man defense 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 offensive 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 unavailable, there is a significant creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Success would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.