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

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and priority on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of talented individuals. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying prestigious roles. Their relationship is not currently a established rivalry, but they experienced some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more fascinating by the tactical differences between the coaches. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more inclined to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to execute an variety of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were superb with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs should sit back when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The figures are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and toils against low blocks.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Still, there is scope for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth 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 trip to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more consistency is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season indicates that their key approach is being used against them 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 flaw when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The danger is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

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

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. 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 direct 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, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not object if a cautious approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.