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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more intriguing by the tactical differences between the coaches. Frank is more of a practical manager, more inclined to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an range of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their strongest displays have come in games where they have surrendered the control. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs should play on the counter when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the worst 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 unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more steadiness is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers showing 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 exploited 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 most possession last season, highlighting a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The risk is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

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

Will Frank allow 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 switch to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the means. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.