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When Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding high-profile roles. Theirs 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 created the superior chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an variety of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola school; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their strongest displays have come in games where they have surrendered the initiative. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs might sit back when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten 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 skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

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

Still, there is potential 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 red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more steadiness is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

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

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 vulnerability 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 line about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. 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 chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a significant creative responsibility 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 from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the ends may validate the means. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Success would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.