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When Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both in prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the superior chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an variety of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their best performances have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. 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 destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results suggest Spurs should play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a difficult 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. Yet, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a lack of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

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

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

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is necessary from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Frustration mounted 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 change to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers showing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season indicates that their fundamental philosophy is being weaponised and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The danger is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their most impressive performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. Is a shift to a five-man defense on the cards? 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 attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

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

But this is one game where the result may validate the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.