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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a replacement 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 finally opted for Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. 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 came when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they shared some close encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure 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 decent games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the managers. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to unveil an range of effective set-piece routines, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values dominance 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 instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their best showings have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results point to Spurs might sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a tricky game to call. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could slip 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 had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Still, there is scope for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more consistency is necessary from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Numbers revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season suggests that their core identity is being exploited 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 most possession last season, highlighting a vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The danger is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling 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. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a shift to a back five likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the means. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this duel with Maresca.