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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were in contention. This was an extensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham hired the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding major roles. Theirs is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to execute an range of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not naturally a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive displays have come in games where they have relinquished the control. They were outstanding with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs should sit back when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the lowest 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 summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

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

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the trip to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more steadiness is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season indicates that their key approach is being weaponised and used to their disadvantage.

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 drive for control is taken to the limit. The threat is falling into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

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

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a shift to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have conceded 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 offensive 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 absent, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the means. Spurs fans will not object if a cautious approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.