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.