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

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying high-profile roles. Their relationship is not currently a established rivalry, but they shared some tight matches 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 engaging games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute 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 possession average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have ceded the initiative. They were superb with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs might play on the counter when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The figures are disappointing. 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 tricky game to call. 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 grumbled about a absence of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could slip 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 been costly. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is necessary from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration mounted 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 switch to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics indicating that it is only one victory 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 used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, highlighting a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The risk is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

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

Will Frank allow them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more strategic. Is a change to a back five likely? Chelsea have conceded 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 allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may justify the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach ends a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Success would energize Frank’s tenure. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.