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When Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were in contention. It was an comprehensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and emphasis on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in prestigious roles. Theirs is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more fascinating by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is more of a practical manager, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to execute an array of deadly set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their strongest displays have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were superb with a back five 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 experiences point to Spurs should 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 last 18 home matches is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a tricky game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could fall 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 ignored.

However, there is potential for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season implies that their fundamental philosophy is being used against them 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 highest possession stats last season, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their best performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a shift to a back five on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

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