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At the time Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were considered. This was an comprehensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham hired the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in prestigious roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to deploy an variety of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola school; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their strongest showings 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, implemented an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs ought to sit back when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The numbers are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the poorest 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 first place 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 onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The situation 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 been costly. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 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 removal 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 incisive against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more consistency 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 season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics showing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season implies that their core identity is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, highlighting a vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The threat is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the fear also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their most impressive performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s attacking 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 conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

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