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At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. This was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession positioned him as the best fit for Chelsea’s team of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Passed over by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying high-profile roles. Theirs is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 defeat 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 interesting by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to unveil an array of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards a strict philosophy. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their best displays have come in games where they have relinquished the control. They were superb 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 overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs should sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record 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 predict. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious 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 decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. 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 turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, underscoring a weakness when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The danger is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also comes to mind.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. Is a change to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a significant creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not object if a cautious approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.