Battle of Styles Looms as Thomas Frank and Enzo Maresca Face Off in Growing Competition

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

The feeling was that Maresca’s structured approach and priority on possession positioned him as the most suitable for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had excelled at Brentford, had to remain patient for his big break. Overlooked by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his break came when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after replacing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both in prestigious roles. Their relationship is not currently a established rivalry, but they experienced 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 superior chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two competitive games, made more fascinating by the divergent approaches between the tacticians. Frank is considered a practical manager, more likely to be straightforward, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to execute an variety of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca tends towards dogmatism. The Italian is a product of the Pep Guardiola coaching tree; he prizes control of the ball.

Chelsea’s average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank adapts his tactics more. Spurs are not naturally a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is notable that their strongest performances have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were excellent with a back five in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an outstanding pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and overwhelmed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results indicate Spurs might adopt a defensive approach when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their past seven home league games. The figures are concerning. Spurs’ return of 13 points from their last 18 home outings is the poorest of any team to have been in the top flight throughout that period.

This is a tricky game to call. Spurs are five points off first place and undefeated 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 grumbled about a absence of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s moan about their young side’s immaturity, lack of discipline, and toils against defensive setups.

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

However, there is scope for improvement, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous dismissal during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success 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 banned for the trip to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more effective against low blocks. The goals have decreased for João Pedro, and more reliability is required from Chelsea’s young wingers.

Irritation grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home loss by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the campaign, but their xG was 0.97. Sunderland’s change to a back five baffled Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics showing that it is only one victory from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its peak this season indicates 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, emphasizing a weakness when Maresca’s drive for control is taken to extremes. The threat is drifting into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also applies here.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth noting that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they delivered their best performance under the Italian and routed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Flexibility is a strength. Chelsea have a number of fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics on their past two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be smarter. Is a shift to a five-man defense likely? Chelsea have allowed goals from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have improved at offensive set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so long-ball oriented does not necessarily match Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, there is a significant creative load on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since arriving from RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the outcome may excuse the means. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game sequence of defeats against Chelsea. Victory would boost Frank’s reign. How he would relish to win this duel with Maresca.