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When Chelsea were seeking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were in contention. This was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both holding 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 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 interesting by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a practical manager, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to unveil an variety of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is topped 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 standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their best performances have come in games where they have ceded the initiative. 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 overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Still, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal 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 thinking about how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss 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 done his homework. Statistics indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season suggests that their fundamental philosophy is being used against them and turned on them.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, highlighting a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The threat is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their best performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a switch to a five-man defense on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals 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 attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the ends may justify the means. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.