A Shadow of His Imperious Self - Van Dijk Battles Waning Influence
The intense attention that has been trained on one elite Liverpool great shifted to another on Anfield's latest frustrating night.
Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his struggles this season - and was relegated to the substitutes' bench for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland came to town on Wednesday.
But it was leader Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive bedrock as Liverpool have secured the complete set of major trophies, whose dip in performance came under the microscope during the 1-1 draw.
The Veteran Duo and Contract Extensions
Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the idea of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start.
In fact, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no escaping the stark fact that standards have dropped concerningly for both.
A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending
Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team embarked on a £450m summer overhaul that has yet to prove anything like a good return.
At the same time, 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 received little support by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the renowned star has also had significant difficulties, as highlighted by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
An Incident That Symbolized The Issue
It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before standing off and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that hit him and floated out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.
For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost.
Misfortune at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage.
"Van Dijk loses the ball 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 couldn't make a mistake. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself."
The Numbers and A Leadership Void
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 pale imitation of his usual imperious self this season, with the poest ball recovery rate per game during his Liverpool career, while defensive actions 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 rousing a team that once again looked lost 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 emergency striker, was indicative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the standard.
A Side Devoid of Ideas
Slot persisted with the side that ended 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 turned to him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous 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 taken a deflection 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 spared embarrassment in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's outstanding recovery run allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had beaten keeper Alisson.
Credit Due and Looking Ahead
Slot and his underperforming defending 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 lethargic, labored and lacking in ideas. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Displays like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled.
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 excellent coaching 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 symptomatic 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 a case of going back to basics.
