A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Grapples With A Dip in Form

The unforgiving attention that has been trained on one global Liverpool icon switched to another on Anfield's latest desperate night.

Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his subpar performances this season - and was relegated to the bench for the second successive Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday.

But it was leader Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive rock as Liverpool have swept up the array of top honors, whose dip in performance came under the microscope during the draw.

The Experienced Pair and Contract Extensions

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the notion of offering extensions to a seasoned pair much nearer to the end of their careers than the start.

In fact, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no avoiding the brutal reality that standards have dropped concerningly for both.

Backline Issues and A Major Overhaul

Liverpool have been susceptible in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee undertook a £450m summer rebuild that has yet to prove anything like its worth.

At the same time, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the sense of being untouchable he has possessed since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also fought his own battles, as demonstrated by his rash handball that conceded a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Sequence That Symbolized The Issue

It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before standing off and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that hit him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost.

Bad luck at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his atypical failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage.

"Van Dijk surrenders possession 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 was faultless. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself."

The Numbers 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 glittering Liverpool career.

He has, though, looked a faded version of his usual dominant persona this season, with the lowest recovery numbers 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 brimming with experience, it was absent here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked clueless to take control by the throat.

Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an last-ditch attacker, 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 Devoid of Ideas

Slot stayed with the side that halted a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more observing from the sidelines.

The Egyptian emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also quiet 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 been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale.

A late scare came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only spared embarrassment 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 dribbled past keeper Alisson.

Praise Deserved and The Road Forward

Slot and his struggling title-holders ultimately had to take a point 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 lethargic, ponderous and devoid of creativity. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Showings like this are the reason their title defence has collapsed.

But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work 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 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 time for reflection.