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At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were considered. This was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately selected Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they had some hard-fought encounters 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 engaging games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an array of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s 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 naturally 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 performances have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were superb 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 overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences point to Spurs should adopt a defensive approach when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The numbers are awful. 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 timeframe.

This is a tricky game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten 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 unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

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

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

Frustration 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 adjustment to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season suggests that their key approach 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, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The risk is falling into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth noting 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. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

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

But this is one game where the ends may justify the means. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.