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When Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. This was an extensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both occupying prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest showings have come in games where they have surrendered the control. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs should play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Still, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more penetrative against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Irritation built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season implies that their core identity is being weaponised 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, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The danger is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a shift to a five-man defense on the cards? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct 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, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the result may validate the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this contest with Maresca.