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At the time Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were considered. It was an extensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s team of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both in high-profile roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more willing to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of effective set-piece routines, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola school; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive showings have come in games where they have ceded the possession. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences indicate Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The numbers are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a lack of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils against low blocks.

The reality is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A interrupted pre-season, caused by the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

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

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics revealing 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 exploited and turned on them.

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 flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The danger is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. Is a switch to a back five on the cards? 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 straightforward does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a considerable creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in general play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach ends a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Success would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.