Redemption Time for Arsene Wenger, Manuel Almunia, and Arsenal

Tuesday's game at home against FC Porto is Arsenal's biggest game of the season thus far.

Manager Arsene Wenger has disregarded too knockout competitions already this season, choosing to play youth squads in road matches in the Carling Cup and FA Cup and suffering defeats.  He did that to save his players for games like this one.  

Arsenal has their work cut out for them.  

Down 2-1 on aggregate, Wenger and his squad will know that a draw will knock them out.  Even just a 1-nil will get the job done, thanks to Sol Campbell's headed-in crucial away goal in the first leg.  

But make no mistake. Porto has the advantage going into the game.

Porto has the luxury of sitting back and putting players behind the ball. They will try to keep Arsenal from scoring for 90 minutes and advance.

The two goal lead Porto clings to is about as sketchy as two-goal leads get.

Manuel Almunia was dropped in the first leg in favor of young backup goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.  After disappointing games filled with mistakes in losses against Man United and Chelsea, Wenger told the press Almunia was struggling with "a twisted finger" and Fabianski replaced him.  

This wasn't the first time this season Almunia had been dropped with what seemed to be a minor injury.  Early in the year, while Fabianski was out with a real injury, Almunia was replaced in the starting lineup for young Italian goalkeeper Vito Mannone.  

Wenger told the press Almunia had a "chest infection."  The worst chest infection in the history of modern medicine somehow kept Almunia out for weeks, and Mannone filled in with mixed results, but Almunia got his job (and evidently his health) back after Mannone gave up two late goals in a 2-2 draw at West Ham.  

But, with Almunia staying home with his twisted finger, Wenger instilled his faith in Fabianski.  Fabianski did not repay that faith.  

After Fabianski fumbled in a cross in the first half and gave up the winner by foolishly picking up a Sol Campbell back-pass, captain Cesc Fabregas lamented that his side had given up two "school-boy" goals.  Wenger has replaced his school-boy keeper with the closest thing to a man Arsenal goalkeepers get.  

While Almunia has not been his best for Arsenal this season (actually it's been by far his worst year),  he has improved since the Fabianski debacle.  He no longer shanks goal kicks to the other team and looks more composed in goal.  

He has helped record four consecutive victories in the Premier League, and made good saves to keep a clean sheet against Sunderland.  

Almunia will be vital for Arsenal tomorrow.  If he slips back to his old form, the Gunners could really be in for a long night.  He has a chance to play well and make people forget how loud his critics were a few weeks ago.

Wenger himself also has a chance to silence some of his critics.  

After selecting a weakened side and losing to Stoke in the FA Cup, losing 3-1 at home to Man United, and 3-nil on the road to Chelsea, many were calling for Wenger to be sacked.  Since then, the only game Arsenal hasn't won was the 2-1 first leg defeat at Porto.

Wenger has sacrificed the FA and Carling Cup in order to win the Premier League and the Champions League.   By choosing to play the inexperienced Fabianski in the first leg, he nearly sacrificed away the Champions League as well.  

Wenger has made the Champions League a priority in recent seasons.  The Champions League is the only major trophy Wenger is yet to win with Arsenal, and it is clear that winning the competition is a major priority for the Frenchman.

In 2006, Arsenal reached the final but lost 2-1 to Barcelona in Paris (lost due to 2 second half goals let in by the then number two Almunia on his near post, but I'm not still bitter).  

In 2008, a blinding run by Theo Walcott looked momentarily to have put Arsenal in the semi-finals, only for it to be taken away from them as Liverpool got a phantom penalty kick right after.  

In 2009, Arsenal did reach the semi-final, but were destroyed by the Ronaldo-oiled Man United machine.  

It's the 2007 season I'm worried about.

In 2007, Arsenal drew PSV Eindhoven in the first round of the knockout stage and were heavily favored.  They had a "manageable loss" in the first leg after Edison Mendez scored the only goal of the game.  

All the pundits predicted they would have no problem getting the two-goal win they needed to advance.  Arsenal got one goal in the second leg, but lost after Alex scored a crucial away goal in extra time.

This season, Arsenal was heavily favored going into their first round match-up with Porto.  They suffered another "manageable loss" in the first leg, and again the pundits predict the Gunners should have no problem getting the result they need and advancing.   

Tomorrow will show if Wenger has learned from his past mistakes.