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At the time Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Passed over by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both occupying high-profile roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some tight encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more fascinating by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards a strict philosophy. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest displays have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were superb 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 destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences indicate Spurs should adopt a defensive approach when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

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 adjustment to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season indicates that their core identity is being exploited and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The risk is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their best performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be smarter. Is a switch to a back five likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily align with Spurs’ style. 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 performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the ends may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this duel with Maresca.