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When Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were considered. This was an extensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually opted for Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and emphasis on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster 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 opportunity arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying prestigious roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they had some tight duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an array of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their best showings have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were superb with a back five 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 point to Spurs should adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their past seven home league games. The numbers are disappointing. Spurs’ record 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 summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The truth is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Yet, there is potential for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s unnecessary dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success 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 defensive teams. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Frustration mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense confused 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 indicates that their fundamental philosophy is being used against them and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a new issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The risk is drifting into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. 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 delivered their best performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a positive attribute. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be smarter. Is a change 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 gotten better at attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ style. 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 made an impact since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in general play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may justify the method. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s tenure. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.