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At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were in contention. It was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession rendered him the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham appointed the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not currently a established rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is considered a practical manager, more willing to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to execute an variety of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards a strict philosophy. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not naturally a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest showings have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were superb with a five-man defense 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 suggest Spurs should sit back when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and toils against low blocks.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Disappointment mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Data revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season suggests that their core identity is being exploited and turned on them.

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, underscoring a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The threat is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their most impressive performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. Is a shift 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 offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued 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 complain if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.