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

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession positioned him as the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in high-profile roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some close encounters 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 fascinating by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to deploy an array of clinical set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign 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 table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive showings have come in games where they have surrendered the control. They were excellent with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs might play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is background to their mixed 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.

However, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary dismissal 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 suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more steadiness is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Data 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 key approach is being exploited 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 highest possession stats last season, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The risk is slipping into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their best performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a positive attribute. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a change to a five-man defense on the cards? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

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

But this is one game where the ends may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.