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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an extensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and emphasis on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s team of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his big break. Passed over by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both in high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; 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 inherently a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest displays have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were outstanding with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an outstanding pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs might sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The figures are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a tricky game to read. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners 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 absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are performing adequately. 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 taken a toll. A interrupted pre-season, resulting from the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is scope for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 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 removal 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 penetrative against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season suggests that their core identity is being weaponised and turned on them.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The risk is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the anxiety also comes to mind.

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 thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a advantage. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a shift to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better 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 unavailable, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in general play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a defensive approach ends a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would ignite Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.