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When Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were in contention. This was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding prestigious roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought matches 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 interesting by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is considered a practical manager, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an variety of clinical set-piece routines, whereas Maresca tends towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their strongest showings have come in games where they have ceded the possession. They were outstanding with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs ought to adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the summit and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a lack 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 managing reasonably well. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is background to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Still, there is potential for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash sending off 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 angry with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more consistency is necessary from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. 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 key approach is being used against them and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their most possession last season, emphasizing a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The risk is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment 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 produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a advantage. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have space to attack.

Will Frank allow them freedom? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking 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 match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted 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 outcome may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.