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

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s team of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham appointed the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both occupying high-profile roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they had some close matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and had the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more intriguing by the tactical differences between the tacticians. Frank is more of a adaptable coach, more likely to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for chances to unveil an range of deadly set-piece plays, whereas Maresca leans towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he values control of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not inherently a defensively-minded side – they are 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 defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs should play on the counter when they face Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and advanced to the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. However, fans of both sides remain skeptical about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a lack of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s inexperience, indiscipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The situation is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is background to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, resulting from the club going all the way 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 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 dugout during the win over Liverpool.

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

Irritation mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the season, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Statistics revealing that it is only one victory 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 recent issue. It was zero victories 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 the limit. The danger is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also is relevant.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their finest 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 dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more cautious. Is a shift to a five-man defense possible? Chelsea have allowed goals 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 long-ball oriented does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may justify the method. Spurs fans will not object if a defensive approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would energize Frank’s reign. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.