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When Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were in contention. This was an extensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both in major roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior 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 adaptable coach, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to unveil an variety of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. 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 topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive showings have come in games where they have surrendered the control. 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 overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to call. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

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

Yet, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary sending off 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 angry with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more steadiness is necessary from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season implies that their fundamental philosophy is being exploited 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, highlighting a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The risk is slipping into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their finest performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a positive attribute. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a shift to a back five likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily align with Spurs’ traditions. 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 approach. Spurs fans will not object if a defensive approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would boost Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.