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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. It was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown 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 created the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more willing to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their best displays have come in games where they have ceded the possession. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences indicate Spurs might play on the counter when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a tricky game to call. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated 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 expressed frustration about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is room 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 such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more penetrative against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season suggests that their fundamental philosophy is being weaponised and turned on them.

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, emphasizing a vulnerability when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The threat is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

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

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. Is a switch 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 take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

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