🔗 Share this article

When Chelsea were searching for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were evaluated. It was an extensive process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually chose Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s tactical system and priority on possession rendered him the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to remain patient for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break arrived when Tottenham hired the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Currently, Frank and Maresca meet, both holding prestigious roles. Their relationship is not yet a full-fledged rivalry, but they experienced some tight matches last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky to suffer a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge last December and created the superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting by the divergent approaches between the managers. Frank is more of a practical manager, more inclined to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to deploy an variety of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian comes from the Pep Guardiola school; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% this season is bettered only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are ranked seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest performances have come in games where they have relinquished the initiative. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences indicate 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 statistics are awful. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their past 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a hard game to predict. Spurs are five points off first place and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are Club World Cup winners and reached the last eight of the Carabao Cup this week. Yet, fans of both sides remain doubtful 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, indiscipline, and struggles against defensive setups.

The truth is that both managers are doing fine. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they lose to Spurs, but there is mitigating circumstances to their indifferent results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have had an impact. A disrupted pre-season, caused by the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

Still, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to keeping 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 dismissal from the touchline during the win over Liverpool.

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

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their peak of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a five-man defense flummoxed Maresca. Régis Le Bris had studied his opponent. Statistics indicating that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its maximum this season implies that their fundamental philosophy is being exploited and turned on them.

This is not a recent issue. It was no wins from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, underscoring a weakness when Maresca’s pursuit for control is taken to the limit. The threat is drifting into sterile domination, 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 noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their most impressive performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are pulsating when they have room to attack.

Will Frank allow them space? Chelsea took advantage of Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more cautious. Is a shift to a back five on the cards? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso launching balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at attacking 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 significant creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not made an impact since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain erratic.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the approach. Spurs fans will not object if a cautious approach ends a four-game losing run against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s reign. How he would love to win this contest with Maresca.