This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Marco Silva has been under immense pressure all season and it feels like the sack is inevitable after this torrid start.

The Toffees now sit 17th in the table, scoring just 11 goals and conceding 17. Now, with two must-win games against Southampton and Norwich City up next, Silva simply has to pick up at least three points in one of these fixtures.

A loss to the Saints this weekend would likely put Everton on the brink of the relegation zone, and it's impossible to escape the feeling that Silva could be pushed out the exit door if they are convincingly beaten.

Then will come the fixture against Norwich, a side who have impressed in fleeting bursts since coming up from the Championship but one that Everton ought to be getting the better of.

After these two must-win games, the former Olympiakos boss has a torrid run of fixtures. Within the space of a month, Everton will battle with Leicester, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City. If the Toffees cannot beat Southampton and Norwich, it is hard to see how Silva picks up anything from those brutal fixtures.

Before his Everton stint, he also endured difficult periods elsewhere in England.

The 42-year-old impressed at Hull City despite the fact he failed to keep them in the Premier League, where he averaged a points per match record of 1.23 from 22 games, and he has effectively been living off the reputation he established with the Tigers ever since.

Then came the Watford job, a position he was sacked from after only 26 games in charge. At the Hornets, Silva averaged even fewer points per match, with just 1.12 per game.

If Silva fails to pick up at least one win from these vital next two games, perhaps it could be a watershed moment in his career.

A man who was once compared to Jose Mourinho has had a significant fall from grace and with little to show from his time in English football so far, it wouldn't be a surprise if his dismissal from Goodison Park marked the end of his flirtation on these shores.