Showdown of Styles Looms as Thomas Frank and Maresca Face Off in Emerging Rivalry

At the time Chelsea were looking for a successor for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024, multiple managers were considered. It was an thorough process that involved the club holding talks with Thomas Frank before they eventually opted for Enzo Maresca.

The belief was that Maresca’s structured approach and focus on possession rendered him the best fit for Chelsea’s roster of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to bide his time for his next opportunity. Passed over by Manchester United after they parted ways with Erik ten Hag, his moment came when Tottenham appointed the Dane after firing Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now, Frank and Maresca meet, both in prestigious roles. Theirs is not yet a established rivalry, but they experienced some tight encounters last season. Frank’s Brentford were unlucky 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 competitive games, made more intriguing by the contrasting styles between the coaches. Frank is considered a pragmatist, more likely to be direct, play on the break, and wait for opportunities to execute an array of clinical set-piece plays, whereas Maresca veers towards dogmatism. The Italian hails from the Pep Guardiola philosophy; he prizes 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 varies his approach more. Spurs are not instinctively a defensively-minded side – they are seventh in the possession standings, ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle – but it is telling that their strongest performances have come in games where they have ceded the control. They were excellent with a five-man defense in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, implemented an impressive pressing game when they won 2-0 at Manchester City, and destroyed Everton with set pieces last Sunday.

Those results point to Spurs ought to sit back when they host Chelsea. Tottenham, after all, have only one victory from their last seven home league games. The numbers are awful. Spurs’ record of 13 points from their last 18 home fixtures is the worst of any team to have been in the top flight during that timeframe.

This is a hard game to read. 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. Nevertheless, fans of both sides remain unconvinced about Frank and Maresca. Spurs supporters have complained about a shortage of creativity when the responsibility is on their team to attack; Chelsea’s lament about their young side’s immaturity, indiscipline, and toils against low blocks.

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 mixed results. Injuries to Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have been costly. A disrupted pre-season, due to the club reaching the final at the Club World Cup, cannot be ignored.

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

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

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 switch to a back five 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 weaponised and used to their disadvantage.

This is not a recent issue. It was zero victories from the four league games in which Chelsea had their highest possession stats last season, underscoring a flaw when Maresca’s quest for control is taken to extremes. The danger is slipping into unproductive possession, to borrow Arsène Wenger’s expression. José Mourinho’s comment 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 decisively beat PSG in the Club World Cup final. Variety is a strength. Chelsea have several fast attackers and are exciting when they have space to attack.

Will Frank grant them opportunity? Chelsea exploited Postecoglou’s adventurous tactics on their last two trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will surely be smarter. Is a change to a back five possible? Chelsea have conceded from three long throws this season. Spurs could have Kevin Danso chucking balls into the box. They will note that Chelsea have gotten better at attacking set pieces but are allowing too many chances.

Being so direct does not necessarily align with Spurs’ history. But with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski missing, there is a significant creative burden on Mohammed Kudus. Xavi Simons, targeted by Chelsea last summer, has not performed to expectations since joining RB Leipzig. Spurs are lacking variety in open play. Their forwards remain unreliable.

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