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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an comprehensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s team of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more fascinating by the tactical differences between the coaches. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to unveil an variety of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca leans towards a strict philosophy. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is exceeded 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 rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were outstanding with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ record 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 the top 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 unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

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

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more steadiness is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense flummoxed 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 highest this season implies that their key approach 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 flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The threat is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their best performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. Is a shift to a back five likely? Chelsea have conceded 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 offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

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