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At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were in contention. This was an comprehensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca meet, both in major roles. Their relationship is not currently a established rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an array of clinical set-piece routines, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive showings have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were outstanding with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results indicate Spurs should sit back when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are concerning. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the lowest 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 unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a absence of creativity when the pressure 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 managing reasonably well. 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 interrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Still, there is scope for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win 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 furious with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed 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 expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season indicates that their fundamental philosophy is being weaponised and turned on them.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, highlighting a vulnerability when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The threat is falling into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their finest performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last 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 launching balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in general play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the means. Spurs fans will not complain if a defensive approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. A win would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this contest with Maresca.