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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were evaluated. It was an comprehensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and emphasis on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a established rivalry, but they shared some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure 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 intriguing by the contrasting styles between the managers. Frank is considered a practical manager, more willing to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an range of clinical set-piece routines, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped 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 table, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their best displays 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 dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results indicate Spurs might play on the counter when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are concerning. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a tricky game to call. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions 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 complained about a lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

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

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration built 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 baffled 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 peak this season suggests that their core identity 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 most possession last season, highlighting a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their most impressive performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them freedom? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a shift to a back five possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may validate the means. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.