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When Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were evaluated. It was an comprehensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and emphasis on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Passed over by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

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

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more willing to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession 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 instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest performances have come in games where they have ceded the initiative. They were superb with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences point to Spurs should play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a tricky game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, caused by the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Still, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal from the dugout 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 slowed down for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Numbers indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season indicates that their core identity is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

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

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a advantage. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. 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 offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a significant creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may justify the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Success would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this contest with Maresca.