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At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. This was an comprehensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s team of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both holding prestigious roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the better chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more fascinating by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more willing to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to execute an variety of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest displays have come in games where they have relinquished 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 overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences point to Spurs should sit back when they face 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 last 18 home fixtures is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain doubtful 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 complain about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

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

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more steadiness is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season implies that their core identity is being weaponised and used to their disadvantage.

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 quest for control is taken to extremes. The threat is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the anxiety also comes to mind.

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

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be smarter. Is a switch to a back five likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a defensive approach halts a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.