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When Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an comprehensive process that involved the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought encounters 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 competitive games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the managers. Frank is considered a practical manager, more likely to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to deploy an array of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes dominance 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 rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their best performances have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are concerning. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a tricky game to call. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage 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 reality is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could slip 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 disrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

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

Maresca was angry 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 wide players.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Statistics revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season implies that their fundamental philosophy is being weaponised and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The risk is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their finest performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a change to a five-man defense on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.