A Shadow of His Dominant Stature - Liverpool's Captain Grapples With Waning Influence

The glaring spotlight that has centered around one world-class Liverpool icon turned to another on Anfield's most recent desperate night.

The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his subpar performances this season - and was relegated to the bench for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland came to town on Wednesday.

But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive foundation as Liverpool have collected the complete set of major prizes, whose poor form came under the microscope during the 1-1 draw.

The Experienced Pair and Renewed Terms

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool question asked at the notion of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start.

Truly, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no avoiding the harsh truth that standards have dropped concerningly for both.

Backline Issues and A Costly Refit

Liverpool have been susceptible in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department 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 air of invincibility he has possessed since his £75m transfer 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 renowned star has also struggled badly, as proved by his desperate handball that conceded a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

An Incident That Summed Up The Struggle

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

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

Bad luck at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.

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

Statistical Decline and A Lack of Command

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be dismissed after claiming two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a illustrious Liverpool career.

He has, though, looked a shadow of his usual dominant persona 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 exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked bewildered to grab the game by the throat.

Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an emergency striker, was representative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the rule.

A Team Lacking Ideas

Slot kept faith 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 emerged 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 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.

Stoppage-time tension 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 take a point 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, ponderous and lacking in ideas. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried little conviction. Displays like this are the reason their title defence has fallen apart.

But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being rewarded for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the excellent coaching of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were positive, assured and threatening.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling of the manner in which they have grown into life in the Premier League that they will be frustrated they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.

For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.