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At the time Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were evaluated. This was an comprehensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession rendered 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 chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some hard-fought 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 tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an array of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are 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 control. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

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

This is a difficult game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more penetrative against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more steadiness is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Data indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season suggests that their fundamental philosophy is being used against them 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 weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The risk is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a positive attribute. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a shift to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may justify the means. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. A win would ignite Frank’s reign. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.