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When Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. It was an extensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s team of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment 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. Theirs is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to unveil an range of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards a strict philosophy. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics 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 telling that their strongest showings have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were superb with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive counterpress 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 welcome 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 read. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils against low blocks.

The reality 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, caused by the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is required 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 campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers revealing 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 weaponised 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, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The risk is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their finest performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a change to a back five possible? 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 gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily align with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in general play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the result may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a defensive approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would energize Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.