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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. It was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession positioned him as the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had excelled 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 opportunity arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

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

Those were two competitive games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to unveil an variety of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped 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 rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their best displays have come in games where they have ceded the initiative. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances suggest Spurs might play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The numbers are awful. 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 summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached 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 absence of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

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

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is necessary from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season implies that their fundamental philosophy is being exploited and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The risk is slipping into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their best performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a positive attribute. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a significant 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 from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the outcome may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.