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

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding prestigious roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more inclined to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to deploy an variety of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their strongest displays have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were superb with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs might sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The numbers are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration 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 struggles against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Yet, there is potential for development, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more consistency is necessary from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season implies that their key approach is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, emphasizing a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The danger is falling into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line 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 finest performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a strength. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a change to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have conceded 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 attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a significant creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in from open situations. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a defensive approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Success would boost Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.