A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Fights Decline

The glaring attention that has been trained on one elite Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's latest frustrating night.

Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his struggles this season - and was relegated to the sidelines for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday.

But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive foundation as Liverpool have swept up the array of major prizes, whose struggles became the focus during the 1-1 draw.

The Experienced Pair and Contract Extensions

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the prospect of handing contracts to a seasoned pair much nearer to the end of their careers than the start.

Truly, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no avoiding the harsh truth that standards have dropped alarmingly for both.

A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul

Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee began a £450m summer overhaul that has still to demonstrate anything like its worth.

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

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

A Sequence That Summed Up The Struggle

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

For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of turning 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 seizing the moment.

"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 was impeccable. Every game he was imperious, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself."

The Numbers and Missing Leadership

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

He has, though, looked a pale imitation 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 exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team brimming with experience, it was absent here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked bewildered to seize the initiative by the initiative.

Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an emergency striker, was indicative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the standard.

A Team Devoid of Ideas

Slot kept faith 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 emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop turned to him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also quiet after scoring his first 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 rounded keeper Alisson.

Credit Due 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 slow, unimaginative and short on invention. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Displays like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has collapsed.

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

The Black Cats were positive, assured and dangerous.

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

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