A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Van Dijk Grapples With A Dip in Form

The glaring spotlight that has been trained on one world-class Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's latest frustrating night.

Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his poor form this campaign - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the consecutive Premier League game as the Black Cats visited on Wednesday.

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

The Seasoned Stars and New Deals

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool question asked at the idea of handing contracts to a seasoned pair much approaching the end of their careers than the start.

In fact, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no denying the stark fact that standards have dropped worryingly for both.

A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul

Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee embarked on a £450m summer overhaul that has still to demonstrate anything like value for money.

Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has carried since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has not been helped by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also had significant difficulties, as highlighted by his rash handball that gave away a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Moment That Symbolized The Problem

It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before backing away and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that hit him and looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment.

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

"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just drops 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 commanding, but right now he's erring and second-guessing himself."

The Numbers and A Lack of Command

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be dismissed 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 pale imitation of his usual imperious self 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 brimming with experience, it was missing here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked lost to seize the initiative by the throat.

Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was symptomatic of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the standard.

Liverpool Devoid of Spark

Slot kept faith 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 failed to materialize, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after getting off the mark with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.

Slot would have been under even more pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a grandstand finish.

A late scare came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation 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 beaten keeper Alisson.

Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead

Slot and his struggling title-holders 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 sluggish, unimaginative and short on invention. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried scant belief. Showings like this are the reason their title defence has collapsed.

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

The Black Cats were proactive, self-believing and threatening.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling of the manner in which they have embraced 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 time for reflection.