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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were considered. This was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his opportunity arrived when Tottenham appointed the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they had some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure 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 decent games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an array of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola school; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not inherently a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their strongest showings have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were excellent with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results point to Spurs should adopt a defensive approach when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a difficult game to call. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, 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 moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Still, there is potential for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash 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 technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious 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 steadiness is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

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

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, emphasizing a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The danger is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. Is a shift to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a significant creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the method. Spurs fans will not object if a defensive approach breaks a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.