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

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s team of skilled players. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his big break. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both in prestigious roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to deploy an array of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values dominance of the ball.

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

Those experiences point to Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The figures are concerning. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the poorest 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 the summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to 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 absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is background to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Still, there is potential for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous sending off 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 angry 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 steadiness is necessary from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, 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 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 core identity 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, underscoring a weakness when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The danger is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

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

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have conceded 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’ style. 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 done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in general play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the result may validate the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this contest with Maresca.