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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 comprehensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they ultimately chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach 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 bide his time for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham hired the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure 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 fascinating by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is considered a practical manager, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an array of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have ceded the initiative. They were superb with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results indicate Spurs might play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. 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 timeframe.

This is a hard 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. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a absence of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and struggles against low blocks.

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

Still, there is scope for development, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory 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 displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more steadiness is necessary from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Statistics indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season implies 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 highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The threat is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank allow them freedom? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a switch to a back five on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.