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When Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were considered. It was an extensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is more of a practical manager, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an array of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their best displays have come in games where they have ceded the possession. They were outstanding with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs should play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a hard game to call. Spurs are five points off the summit 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 unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain 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 context to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

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

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also thinking about 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.

Irritation built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Statistics revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season suggests that their core identity is being used against them and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The risk is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also comes to mind.

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

Will Frank grant them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a switch to a five-man defense on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a significant creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the ends may justify the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Success would boost Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.