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

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s team of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is considered a practical manager, more inclined to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to unveil an variety of effective set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

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

Those performances point to Spurs might play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The figures are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a absence of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Still, there is room 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 suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Numbers indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season indicates that their key approach 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 most possession last season, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The risk is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a shift to a back five likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will take into account 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’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in general play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the result may justify the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.