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When Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. It was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately chose 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 skilled players. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both in prestigious roles. Theirs 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 tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more intriguing by the tactical differences between the managers. Frank is considered a practical manager, more willing to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to execute an variety of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola school; he prizes control of the ball.

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

Those results suggest Spurs ought to play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and toils against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, resulting from the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is scope for development, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is necessary from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused 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 maximum 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, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The threat is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

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

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. Is a shift to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking 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 unavailable, there is a significant creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in open play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the means. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would energize Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.