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When Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally opted for Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and emphasis on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next chance. Passed over by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham appointed the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more likely to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to execute an variety of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; 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 varies his approach more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest displays have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were outstanding with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances suggest Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, caused by the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

However, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Disappointment grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season implies 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 highest possession stats last season, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the anxiety also comes to mind.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their best performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a change to a back five on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the means. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.