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

The opinion was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both in high-profile roles. Theirs is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they had some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an range of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensive side – they are ranked seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their best showings have come in games where they have surrendered the possession. They were superb with a defensive setup 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 might adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have one win from their past seven home league games. The numbers 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 during that period.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached 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 pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose 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, caused by the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Still, there is room for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s removal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is suspended for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s adjustment to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. 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 exploited and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a vulnerability when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The danger is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

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

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more cautious. Is a shift to a five-man defense on the cards? 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 attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

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

But this is one game where the ends may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Success would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.