🔗 Share this article

When Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, a number of managers were evaluated. It was an comprehensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to bide his time for his big break. Passed over by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham hired the Dane after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying high-profile roles. Theirs is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they shared some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two engaging games, made more interesting by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is considered a practical manager, more willing to be direct, play on the break, and wait for chances to deploy an array of clinical set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is topped only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank varies his approach more. Spurs are not inherently a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive showings have come in games where they have relinquished the possession. They were excellent with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and dominated 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 past seven home league games. The numbers are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a hard game to read. Spurs are five points off the summit and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have expressed frustration about a absence of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and difficulties against low blocks.

The situation is that both managers are managing reasonably well. Chelsea could slip to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have taken a toll. A interrupted pre-season, resulting from the club going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Still, there is room for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth 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 banned for the fixture to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more penetrative against defensive teams. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Data revealing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season indicates that their key approach is being exploited and used to their disadvantage.

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, underscoring a vulnerability when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to the limit. The threat is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s phrase. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca differs in opinion, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their most impressive performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a positive attribute. Chelsea have plenty of fast attackers and are dynamic when they have space to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be more strategic. Is a switch to a back five likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso throwing balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ style. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a heavy creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted 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 outcome may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would energize Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this battle with Maresca.