A final warning at Napoli: two matches that will shape Allegri's future

Patience is gradually fading after Napoli's worst start!

Massimiliano Allegri is feeling the heat at Napoli after Serie A defeat by Venezia.

Italian reports today claim the Napoli board's patience with Allegri is beginning to run out. He missed Sunday morning's recovery session after Saturday's 1-0 loss to Venezia, having come down with flu, according to Corriere dello Sport.

A stumbling start adds to the fears

Defeat to Venezia has left Napoli in deeper trouble, and it came against a side who had not picked up a single point in their first six league matches this season.

Allegri had already matched Napoli's worst start in 17 years before kick-off, with four defeats from the first eight games under his leadership across all competitions. Make that five in nine.

In Serie A, three wins and a draw sit alongside three defeats, and Napoli trail leaders Inter Milan by nine points.

Two Champions League defeats have piled on the pressure for the next round of fixtures. The margin for dropping more points has gone if they want a place in the last 16.

A final reprieve? Two matches that could decide Allegri's fate

Football Italia, citing La Gazzetta dello Sport, report that correcting course has become urgent, with Allegri's future at the head of Napoli's coaching staff under threat if he can't get a positive result from the next two matches.

First up are Norway's Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday in the Champions League, a game seen as decisive given Napoli's precarious continental position. Their opponents have form at this level, too: Bodo/Glimt knocked out Serie A champions Inter over both legs of the Champions League play-off last season.

Roma follow on Saturday 24 October at the Diego Armando Maradona, another awkward test against a side in good nick. Results are sliding and the margin for recovery is thin. Allegri's season at Napoli could be decided inside seven days, with reports pointing to a growing risk of the sack.