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

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession rendered him the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure 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 intriguing by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an variety of effective set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs ought to play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are disappointing. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a tricky game to read. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain unconvinced 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 toils against low blocks.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is background to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

However, there is scope for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is banned 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 wide players.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five flummoxed 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 peak this season indicates that their fundamental philosophy is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The risk is falling into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their finest 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 pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a shift to a back five likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a significant creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough 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 means. Spurs fans will not mind if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.