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When Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an comprehensive process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s team of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Not chosen by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both holding major roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more fascinating by the tactical differences between the managers. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more willing to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to deploy an array of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes control of the ball.

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

Those performances suggest Spurs ought to play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 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 advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a absence of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and toils against low blocks.

The situation is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is context to their inconsistent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

However, there is scope for development, especially when it comes to keeping 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory 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 displeased with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more steadiness is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season indicates that their fundamental philosophy 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, highlighting a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The threat is drifting into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also is relevant.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their finest performance under the Italian and decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a advantage. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. Is a shift to a back five possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a heavy creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a cautious approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.