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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were evaluated. It was an extensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately chose Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in high-profile roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some hard-fought 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 decent games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to deploy an range of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s 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 ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have surrendered the control. They were superb with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results suggest Spurs might 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 disappointing. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the poorest 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 the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, caused by the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Yet, there is potential for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash dismissal 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 furious with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics 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 used against them and turned on them.

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 vulnerability when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The danger is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering 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 strength. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

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

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in open play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the ends may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a defensive approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.