"Life or death" has become the Blues manager's mantra when discussing Tuesday night's final Group E game at Stamford Bridge, one which could see the club crash out of the competition before Christmas for the first time. It is the kind of humiliation that might have prompted billionaire owner Roman Abramovich to wield the axe in seasons gone by, but Villas-Boas boldly declared this week that there was no chance of him being sacked if Chelsea failed to reach the knockout phase. And crashing out is a distinct possibility, with the last-16 spot which has been taken for granted at Stamford Bridge during the Abramovich era in serious jeopardy following the Blues' worst start to a season since the Russian bought the club. Qualification appeared a certainty just over a month ago when victory at Genk might have been enough to progress, while it definitely would have been enough at Bayer Leverkusen a fortnight later. But having let a lead slip to draw in Belgium and lose in Germany - the third time they had thrown away three points during the group stage - Chelsea now find themselves facing the unfamiliar prospect of a do-or-die final-game decider. Despite UEFA's ludicrously complex qualification criteria, the equation for Villas-Boas and his side is reasonably simple: win or keep a clean sheet and they are through; anything else and they are out. It would have taken a brave man to bet against the Chelsea of old under similar circumstances but the opposite is arguably true at present. Prior to this weekend, they had lost four and won just two of their previous seven matches, compared to Valencia's six wins from seven. Even more worryingly, the Blues have lost three of their last four home games. A ground Jose Mourinho had made into a fortress has been stripped of its fear factor for visiting teams. In fact, some might say it is Chelsea who have shown greater apprehension in front of their own fans than the opposition in recent weeks. Villas-Boas denied this, although he admitted his side had been performing better on their travels. "I'm not saying Stamford Bridge is a problem," he said. "There's a problem with results at Stamford Bridge, but there's not a problem with Stamford Bridge." He added: "We have had good performances away from home. "In terms of focus concentration, we have been also doing well away from home and there is more tension in those games as you play them away, (there is) less relaxation. "Sometimes extra tension can let you be more concentrated and it might help you in your performances." One of those good away performances came in the reverse fixture against Valencia, in which Chelsea yet again tossed away a winning position to draw 1-1. But they can take some heart from their overall display at the Mestalla, where they were much the better team. Unfortunately, victory on Tuesday could prove something of a poisoned chalice for Chelsea, who will need a helping hand from Genk in order to avoid finishing second in the group. They currently trail Leverkusen by a point and should they fail to overhaul the Germans, a last-16 clash against one of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Inter Milan could be on the cards.
