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At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were considered. This was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they eventually selected Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession rendered him the most suitable for Chelsea’s team of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to wait for his big break. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham appointed the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca face each other, both occupying major roles. Theirs is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure 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 fascinating by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is considered a adaptable coach, more willing to be straightforward, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to deploy an range of effective set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards a strict philosophy. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he values dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their most impressive performances have come in games where they have relinquished the control. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs ought to play on the counter when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight during that period.

This is a difficult game to call. 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. However, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a absence of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and struggles against low blocks.

The reality is that both managers are doing fine. 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 taken a toll. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

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

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the visit to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had done his homework. Numbers indicating that it is only one victory 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 turned on them.

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, highlighting a weakness when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to the limit. The risk is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the anxiety also applies here.

Maresca contests this view, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their finest performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have room to attack.

Will Frank allow them freedom? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. Is a shift to a back five possible? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily align with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are predictable in general play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the ends may justify the means. Spurs fans will not object if a pragmatic approach breaks a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would ignite Frank’s time in charge. How he would love to win this duel with Maresca.