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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were in contention. It was an comprehensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding high-profile roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure 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 competitive games, made more fascinating by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more inclined to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an range of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; 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 mixes it up more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive displays have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs might sit back when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures 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 first place and unbeaten 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 grumbled about a lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is room for development, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success 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 visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have slowed down 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 maximum of the season, 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 maximum this season indicates that their key approach is being weaponised and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, highlighting a vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The danger is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a shift to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in general play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.