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At the time Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. It was an extensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both holding major roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the coaches. Frank is more of a practical manager, more willing to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an array of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach 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 relinquished the initiative. They were outstanding with a five-man defense 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 point to Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are disappointing. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to call. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is background to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Yet, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics 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 key approach is being used against them and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line 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 delivered their finest performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them freedom? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be smarter. Is a switch to a back five possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

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