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At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and emphasis on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they had some close encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more fascinating by the tactical differences between the coaches. Frank is considered a practical manager, more likely to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an array of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards a strict philosophy. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive showings have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were excellent 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 results suggest Spurs should play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The figures are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a difficult 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 last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

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

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

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability 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 highest of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Statistics showing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season indicates that their fundamental philosophy is being used against them 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 quest for control is taken to extremes. The risk is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also comes to mind.

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

Will Frank grant them freedom? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. Is a change to a five-man defense likely? 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 gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

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

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the means. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach ends a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.