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When Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were considered. It was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession rendered him the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they dismissed Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham hired the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying major roles. Theirs is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more fascinating by the contrasting styles between the tacticians. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more likely to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca tends towards ideological rigidity. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is significant that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have surrendered the possession. They were excellent with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs might play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a absence of creativity when the pressure is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s complain about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club going all the way 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 unnecessary dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

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

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat 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 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 peak this season suggests that their core identity is being exploited and turned on them.

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 vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The danger is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

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 thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea punished Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly be more strategic. Is a shift to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a significant creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted 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 validate the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.