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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were evaluated. This was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both occupying major roles. Theirs is not currently a established rivalry, but they had some tight duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an range of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive 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 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 dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results point to Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a tricky game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and toils against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose 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, resulting from the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Still, there is scope for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious 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 dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Numbers showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season suggests that their core identity is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The danger is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also comes to mind.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth recalling that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their best performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. 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 observe that Chelsea have improved 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 missing, there is a significant creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in general play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the ends may justify the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach ends a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.