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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were considered. This 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 focus on possession positioned him as the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying prestigious roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more willing to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to unveil an range of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards a strict philosophy. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s 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 defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive displays have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were outstanding with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding counterpress 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 host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off the summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The reality is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is background to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Still, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

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

Disappointment grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Data 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 most possession last season, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The threat is falling into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. 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 chucking balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the ends may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a defensive approach halts a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s reign. How he would love to win this duel with Maresca.