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When Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were in contention. This was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s team of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham appointed the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both occupying high-profile roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced 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 competitive games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is considered a practical manager, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an range of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive displays 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 impressive pressing game 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 host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their past seven home league games. The numbers are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a difficult game to read. Spurs are five points off the summit and unbeaten 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 doubtful 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 lament about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils 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 background to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Yet, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card 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 visit to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more penetrative against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Numbers indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season indicates that their fundamental philosophy is being used against them and turned on them.

This is not a new issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The danger is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their most impressive performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a positive attribute. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking 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 match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach ends a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s time in charge. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.