A few managers were in the running when Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024. It was an extensive process and involved the club talking to Thomas Frank before they settled on Enzo Maresca.

The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him most suited to Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they fired Erik ten Hag, it arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.

Now Frank and Maresca meet with both in big jobs. Theirs is not a rivalry yet but they had some close duels last season. Frank’s Brentford were unfortunate to lose 2-1 at Stamford Bridge last December and had the better chances when they drew 0-0 with Chelsea in April.

Those were two decent games, made more interesting because of the tactical differences between the coaches. Frank is more of a pragmatist, more willing to be direct, play on the break and wait for opportunities to unveil an array of clinical set-piece routines,...