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At the time Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. It was an extensive process that involved the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both in high-profile roles. Their relationship is not currently a established rivalry, but they shared some tight duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the coaches. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of effective set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their best performances have come in games where they have ceded the initiative. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances suggest Spurs should adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a hard game to predict. 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 skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a absence of creativity when the responsibility 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 slip 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 disrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

However, there is scope for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal 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 considering how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more consistency is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data indicating 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 fundamental philosophy is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The risk is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a positive attribute. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. Is a shift to a back five possible? 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 gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

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