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

The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and emphasis on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s team of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham appointed the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both in prestigious roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky 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 divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a practical manager, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an array of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca tends towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of 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 mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive showings have come in games where they have surrendered the possession. They were excellent with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences point to Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are concerning. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the worst 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 first place 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 grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and toils against defensive setups.

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

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

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the visit 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 required from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Data 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 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 highest possession stats last season, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The risk is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering 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 strength. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a change to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved 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 absent, there is a heavy creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in open play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the result may justify the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this contest with Maresca.