A Shadow of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Grapples With Decline

The unforgiving focus that has been trained on one global Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night.

The Egyptian forward has come under fire for his poor form this campaign - and was placed on the bench for the second successive Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday.

But it was leader Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the array of major prizes, whose dip in performance came under the microscope during the draw.

The Experienced Pair and Renewed Terms

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool question asked at the notion of securing the futures to a veteran duo much closer to the end of their careers than the start.

In fact, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no avoiding the stark fact that performance has dipped concerningly for both.

Backline Issues and Summer Spending

Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department embarked on a £450m summer rebuild that has not yet shown anything like its worth.

Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to shed the sense of being untouchable he has carried since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has faced additional challenges by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his desperate handball that resulted in a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

An Incident That Symbolized The Struggle

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

For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an unusual habit of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost.

Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk provoked with his unusual failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.

"Van Dijk gives the ball away and then he just backs off. It's the wrong decision. 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 couldn't make a mistake. Every game he was imperious, but right now he's making mistakes and hesitating."

Statistical Decline and Missing Leadership

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be discarded after winning 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 dominant persona this season, with the lowest recovery numbers 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 preserve alone in a Liverpool team brimming with experience, it was missing here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked lost to seize the initiative by the initiative.

Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was indicative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the norm.

Liverpool Lacking Spark

Slot persisted with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more watching from the sidelines.

The Egyptian came on at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective after opening his account with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.

Slot would have been under greater pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not deflected in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending.

Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation 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 beaten keeper Alisson.

Credit Due and The Road Forward

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, labored and lacking in ideas. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Performances like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled.

But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were proactive, confident and dangerous.

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.