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When Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and emphasis on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s team of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some close 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 drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more fascinating by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to unveil an range of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are ranked 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 possession. They were excellent with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results suggest Spurs might play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a tricky game to call. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a lack of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and toils against low blocks.

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 had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

However, there is potential for development, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Frustration grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat 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 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 exploited and used to their disadvantage.

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 pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The danger is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. 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 put in their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a switch to a five-man defense on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative responsibility 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 unreliable.

But this is one game where the outcome may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a cautious approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.