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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. This was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and emphasis on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a practical manager, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to unveil an array of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their best showings have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were outstanding 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 destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs might play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a difficult game to call. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is background to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

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

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season implies that their core identity is being weaponised and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The threat is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be smarter. Is a change to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.