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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. It was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually opted for Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some hard-fought 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 decent games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is considered a practical manager, more likely to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he prizes control 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 naturally a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive displays have come in games where they have surrendered the control. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results suggest Spurs ought to sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a absence of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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 success 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 angry with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more steadiness is necessary from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season suggests that their key approach is being used against them and turned on them.

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

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting 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 a number of fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them opportunity? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a change to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in general play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.