Napoli defeat could be final nail in AVB’s coffin

The question posed by an Italian journalist to Andre Villas-Boas at Stamford Bridge couldn’t have been more straightforward.

“How can you beat Napoli when you can’t beat Birmingham,” he asked.

Villas-Boas’s response — “Because it is football” — sounded as though it was delivered more in hope than expectation but the brutal reality is that defeat to the Serie A side tomorrow will weaken the Chelsea manager’s position further, and may even precipitate his departure from the club.

Roman Abramovich is not known for his patience but there is little doubt things are as bad as they have ever been since the Russian billionaire took control.

The failure to beat a determined Championship team in the fifth round of the FA Cup would never go down well, but after a week in which the manager hauled in his squad for extra training following the Premier League defeat at Everton and when Abramovich has been highly visible to both the manager and players, it felt terminal for the manager.

Villas-Boas has talked all season of his project and nobody would deny he faces a testing job overhauling a squad that has become too old and too comfortable. It seems, however, his efforts to do so have run aground and his authority, has now been undermined.

Focus now switches to tomorrow’s trip to Italy for the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie when Villas-Boas’s side will attempt to avoid being overwhelmed by the intense atmosphere of the Stadio San Paolo.

That task proved too much for Manchester City in the group stages and, having been apparently gripped by nerves on home turf — never more so that when Juan Mata struck an unconvincing penalty that was well saved by Colin Doyle — it is difficult to see Villas-Boas’s side doing much better.

“It’s a different type of preparation, different type of football, European football, played in a different way,” said the manager. “We will have to be much more competent, play well and try to take the game to Stamford Bridge.”

That will be easier said than done, particularly if Chelsea repeat the defensive shambles that allowed David Murphy to put Birmingham ahead in the 20th minute. Daniel Sturridge’s 62nd minute header ensured the post-mortem wasn’t even more brutal for Villas-Boas but it was hard to see how the manager could take many positives from the performance.

John Terry is rated very doubtful for the Napoli game, again depriving Chelsea of the leadership that was so clearly missing on Saturday before Didier Drogba replaced Fernando Torres at half-time and attempted to rouse his team-mates in the tunnel before they reappeared for the second half.

“Of course JT is a great leader, gives you an extra emotional push. But at the moment, we’ve had to do without him,” admitted Villas-Boas.

Torres was present for the 45 minutes but that was just about all and the striker’s apparent inability to find an answer to his personal despair is becoming emblematic of Chelsea’s attempt to move on from past successes and forge a new era. “I think everybody is desperate for him to score,” said the manager. “Everybody pushes him, praises him in training and it will come with him getting opportunities. His confidence is low but we will have to continue to persist with our belief in his talent.”

Villas-Boas must hope Abramovich takes a similarly charitable view towards his young manager.

CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 6; Ivanovic 7, Luiz 6, Cahill 5, Bertrand 6; Ramires 6, Obi 4 (Kalou 57, 6), Meireles 5; Sturridge 7, Torres 4 (Drogba 46, 6), Mata 6 (Lampard 83,6).

BIRMINGHAM CITY (4-5-1): Doyle 9; Carr 6 (Spector 6, 13), Ibanez 7, Davies 8, Murphy 8; Elliott 7 (Burke 83,6), Mutch 8, Fahey 7, Gomis 8, Redmond 7; Rooney 7 (Jarvis 71,6).

Referee: Martin Atkinson.