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

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s team of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to wait for his big break. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in high-profile roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate 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 decent games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more likely to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to unveil an array of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards a strict philosophy. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have ceded the possession. They were outstanding with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results suggest Spurs should sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a tricky game to call. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained 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 defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is background to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is suspended 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 wingers.

Frustration grew 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 flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Statistics indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season indicates that their core identity is being used against them 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, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The danger is falling into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth recalling 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 positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a shift to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will take into account 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 heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from 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 complain if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.