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At the time Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were considered. This was an extensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and emphasis on possession positioned him as the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of talented individuals. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both in prestigious roles. Theirs is not currently a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 loss 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 interesting by the divergent approaches between the coaches. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more willing to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to deploy an array of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers 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 bettered 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 most impressive showings have come in games where they have surrendered the possession. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances indicate Spurs ought to play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The figures are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that timeframe.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a shortage 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 defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could drop to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Yet, there is potential for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash sending off during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth such red card in nine games, including Maresca’s dismissal from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was displeased with Delap, who is banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more consistency is required from Chelsea’s young wide players.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Statistics revealing that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season implies that their key approach 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 highest possession stats last season, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The threat is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line 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 produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and decisively beat 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 give them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a switch to a back five on the cards? 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 attacking set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski absent, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in from open situations. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.