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

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s team of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to wait for his big break. Passed over by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding prestigious roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some tight 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 drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the tactical differences between the managers. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more willing to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not inherently a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their best performances have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were outstanding with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results point to Spurs ought to sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. 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 read. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to 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 pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

However, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous red card 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 fixture to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more penetrative against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down 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 season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Numbers revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season implies that their key approach is being exploited and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, highlighting a vulnerability when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The danger is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their most impressive performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be smarter. Is a switch to a back five on the cards? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.