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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor 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 ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and emphasis on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both in major roles. Theirs is not currently a established rivalry, but they had some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more fascinating by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an range of effective set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered 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 rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest showings have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were outstanding with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances suggest Spurs might play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a absence of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, caused by the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Yet, there is room 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 removal from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

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

Irritation built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Data showing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season indicates that their key approach is being weaponised 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, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The risk is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark 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 delivered their best performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a change 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 observe that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in general play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.