A Shadow of His Imperious Self - Van Dijk Grapples With Waning Influence

The glaring attention that has been trained on one world-class Liverpool legend turned to another on Anfield's fresh desperate night.

Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his poor form this campaign - and was consigned to the bench for the second successive Premier League game as the Black Cats visited on Wednesday.

But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive foundation as Liverpool have collected the complete set of major prizes, whose poor form took center stage during the draw.

The Veteran Duo and New Deals

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the notion of securing the futures to a veteran duo much closer to the end of their careers than the start.

Indeed, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no avoiding the brutal reality that standards have dropped concerningly for both.

A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending

Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team undertook a £450m summer overhaul that has yet to prove anything like a good return.

At the same time, Van Dijk has started to lose the air of invincibility he has carried since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Sequence That Encapsulated The Issue

It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk losing possession before backing away and turning away on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an unusual habit of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment.

Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his atypical failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.

"Van Dijk surrenders possession and then he just backs off. It's the incorrect choice. He needs to go to the ball. Him not making the decision means that no one else knows what to do."

"Virgil Van Dijk last season was faultless. Every game he was imperious, but right now he's erring and second-guessing himself."

Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be written off after claiming two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a glittering Liverpool career.

He has, though, looked a faded version of his usual imperious self this season, with the lowest recovery numbers per game during his Liverpool career, while defensive actions are also down on last season.

And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team full of experience, it was missing here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked bewildered to take control by the throat.

Van Dijk's difficult night, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an emergency striker, was indicative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the norm.

A Team Without Spark

Slot persisted with the side that stopped a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more starting on the sidelines.

The Egyptian came on at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after scoring his first with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.

Slot would have been under increased scrutiny had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not deflected in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a grandstand finish.

Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's superb tracking back allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had rounded keeper Alisson.

Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead

Slot and his fading champions ultimately had to settle for a draw knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson lucky to turn Trai Hume's shot onto the bar in the first half before Omar Alderete headed against the post after the interval.

Liverpool were sluggish, unimaginative and devoid of creativity. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Displays like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has collapsed.

But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of notable ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were adventurous, confident and threatening.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is indicative of the manner in which they have adapted to life in the Premier League that they will be frustrated they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.

For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.