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

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and emphasis on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying major roles. Theirs is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession standings, 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 excellent with a five-man defense 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 should adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the summit 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 doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils against low blocks.

The situation is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Statistics showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season indicates that their key approach is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, highlighting a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The threat is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the fear also is relevant.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth recalling 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 dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a change to a five-man defense likely? 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 improved at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a significant creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in general play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may validate the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.