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When Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and emphasis on possession positioned him as the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham hired the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying prestigious roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is more of a practical manager, more willing to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an range of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, 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 outstanding 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 overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results suggest Spurs should sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a absence of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The reality is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Still, there is scope for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary 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 touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more penetrative against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Statistics revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season implies that their core identity is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The threat is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

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 thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a change to a back five on the cards? 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 attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in general play. Their forwards remain erratic.

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