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

The intense attention that has been trained on one world-class Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night.

The Egyptian forward has come under fire for his subpar performances this season - and was relegated to the bench for the second straight Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday.

But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the full collection of major prizes, whose poor form became the focus during the stalemate.

The Experienced Pair and Renewed Terms

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the prospect of offering extensions to a seasoned pair much approaching the end of their careers than the start.

Truly, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no avoiding the stark fact that performance has dipped alarmingly for both.

A Leaky Defense 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 refit that has yet to prove anything like a good return.

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

Van Dijk has not been helped by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also struggled badly, as proved by his rash handball that gave away a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

An Incident That Summed Up The Problem

It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before backing away and turning away on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

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

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

"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just drops off. 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 couldn't make a mistake. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and second-guessing himself."

Statistical Decline and A Leadership Void

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be written off 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 pale imitation of his usual commanding presence this season, with the worst recoveries per game during his Liverpool career, while tackles and interceptions 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 clueless to seize the initiative by the initiative.

Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was representative of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the rule.

Liverpool Lacking Spark

Slot stayed 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 looked to him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective 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 taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a grandstand finish.

Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat 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 blessed 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 typical final push after the equaliser carried little conviction. Performances like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled.

But full acknowledgment 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 adventurous, confident and a genuine threat.

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 disappointed they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.

For Slot and Liverpool, it is back to the drawing board.