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When Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. It was an comprehensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and emphasis on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham appointed the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding prestigious roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought duels 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 tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more willing to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from 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 adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their best performances have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences indicate Spurs ought to sit back when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a hard game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The situation is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Still, there is room for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal 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 thinking about how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is necessary from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak 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. Statistics revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season implies 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 most possession last season, highlighting a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The threat is falling into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment 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 thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them freedom? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in general play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may justify the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a defensive approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would cherish to win this contest with Maresca.