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At the time Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. It was an extensive process that involved the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in major roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they had some tight duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky 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 divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more willing to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to unveil an range of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola school; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up 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 telling that their best performances have come in games where they have relinquished the control. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences point to Spurs might play on the counter when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The numbers are disappointing. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a tricky game to call. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is background to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Irritation mounted 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 adjustment to a back five flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers indicating 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 fundamental philosophy is being exploited 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 highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The threat is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth noting 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 advantage. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. Is a shift to a back five likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

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

But this is one game where the ends may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this contest with Maresca.