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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. This was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and emphasis on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in high-profile roles. Theirs is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut 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 willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca tends towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s 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 table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest performances have come in games where they have relinquished the control. They were superb with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results point to Spurs should sit back when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their last seven home league games. The numbers are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard game to predict. 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 unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent 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 ignored.

Still, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is necessary from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season suggests that their key approach is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The danger is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth recalling 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. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be smarter. 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 take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from 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 defensive approach ends a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would energize Frank’s tenure. How he would cherish to win this battle with Maresca.