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At the time Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. It was an extensive process that involved the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both in prestigious roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some tight encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to execute an variety of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest performances have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were outstanding with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances suggest Spurs should sit back when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The numbers are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard 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 shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Yet, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash 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 displeased with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. 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 used against them 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, underscoring a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The danger is falling into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them freedom? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. Is a change to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily match Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

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