They say a week is a long time in politics but, for Andre Villas-Boas, his Chelsea tenure will have already felt like a lifetime.

AVB is facing a game on Tuesday that could define his future. Napoli in the Champions League is never an easy test, but given Chelsea’s faltering form and the obvious divisions in his squad – defeat could seal his fate.

Ever since the Portuguese told the media that he had given his critics (ie. Them) a “slap in the face” after his side cruised past Valencia in December to reach the last 16, his relationship with the media has been a ticking time bomb.

Add to the mix the reports of a blazing row with some squad members after another demoralising result at Everton last week and allegations that Gary Cahill was signed without his consent, you could say times are tough for the boss.

And that’s before you even get to the ominous presence of Roman Abramovich at the Chelsea training ground two weeks ago and reports his players are in contact with former boss Jose Mourinho via text.

Napoli’s tricky trio

In Napoli, Chelsea’s defence – so often breached this season – must repel Cavani, Lavezzi and Hamsik, a forward line that has been terrorising Serie A defences for a while now.

While Chelsea under Villas-Boas don’t look short of attacking options, you wouldn’t back them to return from Naples with a clean sheet. Particularly if captain John Terry doesn’t make it.

The Champions League has always been the target for Abramovich and, while back-to-back Premier League titles under Mourinho brought a smile his face, the Russian’s pursuit of becoming kings of Europe has become something of an obsession.

In reality, Carlo Ancelotti is the only man that has come close to extinguishing the ghost of Mourinho and, with an ageing squad that should not have been left to Villas-Boas to update, Chelsea’s decline must be put down to mismanagement at the top.

Failure to sensibly invest in the squad cannot be blamed on Villas-Boas, regardless of his grating character.

But Villas-Boas was the man personally hired by Abramovich to inject an exciting new philosophy into the club and, while that has so far failed to materialise in a positive way, AVB can save his skin with victory over a very good Napoli side.

A positive result in Naples is not impossible and would change the landscape completely, but when there’s cracks in the squad and journalists sniping from behind their computer screens, the pressure on Villas-Boas is unlikely to relent.

By Michael Da Silva – Freelancer for BBC, Eurosport, amongst others