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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were in contention. This was an comprehensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Passed over by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in prestigious roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some tight duels 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 drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards a strict philosophy. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes control of the ball.

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

Those performances suggest Spurs should adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a hard game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a shortage of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and toils against low blocks.

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 been costly. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more steadiness is necessary from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Disappointment built 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 change to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers showing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season suggests that their core identity is being weaponised and turned on them.

This is not a new issue. It was no wins 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 extremes. The threat is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them freedom? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a change to a back five likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a considerable creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the result may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a cautious approach ends a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s reign. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.