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

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession positioned him as the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of talented individuals. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment arrived when Tottenham brought in the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both in prestigious roles. Theirs is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some tight encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the better chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is considered a practical manager, more inclined to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an variety of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes control of the ball.

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

Those experiences suggest Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a tricky game to call. Spurs are five points off the summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, 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 had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 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 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 considering how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more steadiness is necessary from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Irritation built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a back five flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season implies that their key approach is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, underscoring a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The danger is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the fear also is relevant.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their finest performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. Is a switch to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved at attacking 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 unavailable, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may validate the means. Spurs fans will not object if a cautious approach halts a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.