🔗 Share this article A Shadow of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Grapples With A Dip in Form The unforgiving attention that has been trained on one elite Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's fresh desperate night. The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the second successive Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive rock as Liverpool have secured the array of major prizes, whose struggles took center stage during the draw. The Experienced Pair and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the idea of securing the futures to a experienced stars much approaching the end of their careers than the start. Indeed, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no denying the stark fact that standards have dropped worryingly for both. Backline Issues and A Costly Refit Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team undertook a £450m summer rebuild that has still to demonstrate anything like value for money. At the same time, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has carried since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also fought his own battles, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Sequence That Summed Up The Issue It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before backing away and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage. Misfortune at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising. "Van Dijk surrenders possession and then he just retreats. It's the mistake. 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 dominant, but right now he's slipping up and hesitating." Statistical Decline and Missing Leadership As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be discarded after securing two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar Liverpool career. He has, though, looked a shadow of his usual commanding presence this season, with the worst recoveries per game during his Liverpool career, while key defensive stats are also down on last season. And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's sole responsibility alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked clueless to seize the initiative by the scruff of the neck. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was symptomatic of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the exception rather than the standard. A Side Lacking Spark Slot stayed with the side that stopped a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more watching from the sidelines. The Egyptian was introduced 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 ineffective after opening his account with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday. Slot would have been under increased scrutiny had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. A late scare came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only spared embarrassment in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's excellent defensive sprint 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 underperforming defending champions ultimately had to settle for a draw knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson fortunate 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 slow, ponderous and lacking in ideas. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Displays like this are the reason their title defence has collapsed. But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, assured and a genuine threat. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling of the manner in which they have adapted to life in the Premier League that they will be disappointed they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally. For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.
The unforgiving attention that has been trained on one elite Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's fresh desperate night. The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the second successive Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive rock as Liverpool have secured the array of major prizes, whose struggles took center stage during the draw. The Experienced Pair and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the idea of securing the futures to a experienced stars much approaching the end of their careers than the start. Indeed, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no denying the stark fact that standards have dropped worryingly for both. Backline Issues and A Costly Refit Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team undertook a £450m summer rebuild that has still to demonstrate anything like value for money. At the same time, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has carried since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also fought his own battles, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Sequence That Summed Up The Issue It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before backing away and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage. Misfortune at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising. "Van Dijk surrenders possession and then he just retreats. It's the mistake. 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 dominant, but right now he's slipping up and hesitating." Statistical Decline and Missing Leadership As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be discarded after securing two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar Liverpool career. He has, though, looked a shadow of his usual commanding presence this season, with the worst recoveries per game during his Liverpool career, while key defensive stats are also down on last season. And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's sole responsibility alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked clueless to seize the initiative by the scruff of the neck. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was symptomatic of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the exception rather than the standard. A Side Lacking Spark Slot stayed with the side that stopped a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more watching from the sidelines. The Egyptian was introduced 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 ineffective after opening his account with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday. Slot would have been under increased scrutiny had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. A late scare came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only spared embarrassment in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's excellent defensive sprint 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 underperforming defending champions ultimately had to settle for a draw knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson fortunate 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 slow, ponderous and lacking in ideas. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Displays like this are the reason their title defence has collapsed. But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, assured and a genuine threat. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling of the manner in which they have adapted to life in the Premier League that they will be disappointed they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally. For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.