🔗 Share this article

At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. This was an comprehensive process that saw the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they finally opted for Enzo Maresca.

The opinion was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him the most suitable for Chelsea’s squad of talented individuals. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next chance. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham brought in the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

At present, Frank and Maresca confront one another, both occupying major roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they had some hard-fought matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the better chances when they tied 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more intriguing by the tactical differences between the coaches. Frank is considered a practical manager, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an range of deadly set-piece routines, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is bettered 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 standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their most impressive displays have come in games where they have surrendered the control. They were outstanding with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an outstanding pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those performances point to Spurs might sit back when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their last seven home league games. The statistics are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home fixtures is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a tricky game to read. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have grumbled about a lack 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 truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall 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 had an impact. A interrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be dismissed.

Yet, there is potential for development, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s rash red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win 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 trip to Spurs. But he is also pondering how to make his team more penetrative against low blocks. The goals have slowed down for João Pedro, and more steadiness is needed from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Disappointment built during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their highest of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics indicating 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 fundamental philosophy is being weaponised 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 flaw when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The danger is falling into ineffective control, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s term. José Mourinho’s remark about the team with the ball having the worry also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they produced their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank give them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s attacking tactics on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will certainly 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 gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so straightforward does not necessarily align with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a considerable creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, pursued by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain unreliable.

But this is one game where the outcome may justify the method. Spurs fans will not mind if a defensive approach breaks a four-game losing run against Chelsea. Victory would energize Frank’s time in charge. How he would relish to win this contest with Maresca.