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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. This was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next chance. Passed over by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding prestigious roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more likely to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to unveil an variety of clinical set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive displays have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. 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 dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results indicate Spurs should adopt a defensive approach when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The figures are disappointing. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, 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 defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated 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, resulting from the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Yet, there is scope for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success 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 angry with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration grew 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 adjustment to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Statistics indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season indicates that their core identity is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. Is a shift to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the method. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. A win would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.