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

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and emphasis on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both holding high-profile roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they drew 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 practical manager, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to execute an array of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive 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 ceded the initiative. They were outstanding with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented 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 one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to call. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

However, there is potential for progress, 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 dismissal from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is suspended for the trip to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season implies that their key approach is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The threat is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting 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. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more strategic. Is a switch to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals 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 offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in general play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s tenure. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.