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When Chelsea were searching for a successor 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 ultimately selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both in high-profile roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure 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 divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an variety of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards a strict philosophy. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values 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 inherently a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest 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, executed an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs ought to play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a tricky game to read. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a absence of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, caused by the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Still, there is scope for development, 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 banishment from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the trip to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more steadiness is needed from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers showing 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 weaponised and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new 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 pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The threat is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their finest 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 grant them freedom? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more strategic. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the ends may justify the method. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this duel with Maresca.