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

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession positioned him as the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham appointed the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both in high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the superior chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is considered a practical manager, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to execute an range of effective set-piece routines, whereas Maresca tends towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their best displays 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 exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs might play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The figures are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a tricky game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to 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 lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

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

Yet, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such 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 thinking about how to make his team more penetrative against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Data showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season suggests that their key approach is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, highlighting a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The danger is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a positive attribute. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank allow them opportunity? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. Is a shift to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

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

But this is one game where the result may justify the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would ignite Frank’s reign. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.