Battle of Styles Awaits as Frank and Enzo Maresca Go Head-to-Head in Emerging Competition

At the time Chelsea were seeking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, several managers were evaluated. It was an thorough process that saw the club engaging with Thomas Frank before they finally selected Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s tactical system and focus on possession positioned him as the ideal candidate for Chelsea’s roster of skilled players. Frank, who had achieved great success at Brentford, had to wait for his big break. Passed over by Manchester United after they let go of Erik ten Hag, his opportunity came when Tottenham brought in the Danish manager after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca face each other, both in high-profile roles. Their relationship is not currently a full-blown rivalry, but they experienced some hard-fought encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to suffer a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last December and had the superior chances when they tied 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 likely to be direct, play on the counter-attack, and wait for opportunities to deploy an range of effective set-piece strategies, whereas Maresca veers towards ideological rigidity. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he emphasizes dominance of the ball.

Chelsea’s possession average of 59.7% so far this campaign is exceeded only by Liverpool in the Premier League. Frank mixes it up more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensive side – they are seventh in the possession rankings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest displays have come in games where they have relinquished the control. They were superb with a defensive setup in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, executed an impressive counterpress when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those experiences suggest Spurs might play on the counter when they welcome Chelsea. Tottenham, it must be noted, have one win from their past seven home league games. The statistics are disappointing. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their past 18 home matches is the lowest of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a difficult game to predict. Spurs are five points off the top and unbeaten in the Champions League. Chelsea are world champions and reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain doubtful about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a lack of creativity when the onus is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s inexperience, lack of discipline, and difficulties against defensive setups.

The situation is that both managers are performing adequately. Chelsea could fall to 12th if they are defeated 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 going all the way at the Club World Cup, cannot be overlooked.

Yet, there is scope for progress, especially when it comes to maintaining 11 players on the pitch. Liam Delap’s ludicrous red card during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup success against Wolves was Chelsea’s sixth red card in nine games, including Maresca’s banishment from the dugout during the win over Liverpool.

Maresca was angry with Delap, who is banned for the visit to Spurs. But he is also thinking about how to make his team more incisive against defensive teams. The goals have dried up for João Pedro, and more steadiness is required from Chelsea’s young attacking midfielders.

Frustration grew during last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland. Chelsea had 68.4% possession, their maximum of the season, but their expected goals was 0.97. Sunderland’s switch to a five-man defense confused Maresca. Régis Le Bris had prepared well. Statistics indicating that it is one win from the six league games when Chelsea’s possession has been at its highest this season implies that their core identity 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, highlighting a flaw when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The threat is slipping into sterile domination, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s line about the team with the ball having the fear also is relevant.

Maresca disagrees, but it is worth remembering that Chelsea had 33.5% possession when they put in their best performance under the Italian and thrashed PSG in the Club World Cup final. Adaptability is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them space? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will undoubtedly be more strategic. Is a shift to a back five likely? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will observe that Chelsea have gotten better at offensive set pieces but are conceding too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily fit with Spurs’ traditions. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a significant creative responsibility on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, courted by Chelsea last summer, has not done enough since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in from open situations. Their forwards remain inconsistent.

But this is one game where the result may validate the approach. Spurs fans will not complain if a pragmatic approach halts a four-game winless streak against Chelsea. A win would boost Frank’s tenure. How he would cherish to win this duel with Maresca.