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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. It was an extensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and emphasis on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of talented individuals. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding major roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some tight duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer 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 decent games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an range of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their strongest performances have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were superb with a back five 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 performances suggest Spurs might play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a tricky game to predict. Spurs are five points off the summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could slip 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 disrupted 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 rash sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal 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 penetrative against low blocks. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Data indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season indicates that their key approach 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 most possession last season, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The danger is slipping into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

Maresca differs in opinion, 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. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a change to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Success would energize Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.