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When Chelsea were searching for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. This was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Not chosen by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham appointed the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both occupying high-profile roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they shared some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior 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 likely to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes control of the ball.

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

Those experiences point to Spurs ought to sit back when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the lowest 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 the top and unbeaten 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 unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration 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 difficulties against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

However, there is potential for progress, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is necessary from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. 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 core identity 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, highlighting a weakness when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The danger is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a positive attribute. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank grant them freedom? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a switch to a back five on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a significant creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the ends may justify the means. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.