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At the time Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were considered. This was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s team of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in high-profile roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of clinical set-piece routines, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

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

Those performances point to Spurs might sit back when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The figures are concerning. 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 hard game to call. 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. However, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are managing reasonably well. 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 been costly. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is scope for improvement, 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 angry with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more penetrative against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more steadiness is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers 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 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, underscoring a weakness when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a change to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily align with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in general play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. A win would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.