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At the time Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were considered. It was an thorough process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they ultimately opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and emphasis on possession made him the best fit for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. 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.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying high-profile roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to endure a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the more clear-cut chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is considered a practical manager, more likely to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to unveil an range of effective set-piece routines, whereas Maresca leans towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola school; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% this season is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach 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 significant that their strongest displays have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were superb with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an exceptional counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The figures are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures 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 first place and undefeated in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain unconvinced 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 moan about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and toils against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated to Spurs, but there is context to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, resulting from the club competing deep at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is potential for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 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 removal from the technical area during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was furious with Delap, who is suspended for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also considering how to make his team more incisive against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more consistency is needed from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Disappointment mounted during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Numbers showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season suggests 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 most possession last season, highlighting a vulnerability when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to extremes. The danger is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment about the team with the ball having the worry also is relevant.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth recalling 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. Variety is a positive attribute. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a switch to a five-man defense on the cards? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will take into account that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily match Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a heavy creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are one-dimensional in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the method. Spurs fans will not complain if a defensive approach ends a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Success would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would love to win this battle with Maresca.