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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. It was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham appointed the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more fascinating by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to execute an range of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are 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 ceded the initiative. They were outstanding 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 suggest Spurs should sit back when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off the summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is scope for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win 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 displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more consistency is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment built 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 adjustment to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season indicates that their core identity is being weaponised and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories 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 risk is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their best performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more strategic. Is a switch to a back five on the cards? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the means. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. A win would ignite Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.