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When Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were considered. It was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately chose Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat 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 intriguing by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to execute an variety of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca tends towards a strict philosophy. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest performances have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were excellent with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results indicate Spurs ought to play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The numbers are concerning. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 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 predict. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a lack of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is room for progress, 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 such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment mounted 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 switch to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Numbers showing 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 key approach is being exploited and used to their disadvantage.

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, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The threat is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a cautious approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Success would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this contest with Maresca.