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

The unforgiving spotlight that has fallen upon one world-class Liverpool great shifted to another on Anfield's fresh desperate night.

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

But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have secured the full collection of major trophies, whose poor form became the focus during the draw.

The Experienced Pair and New Deals

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked high-value two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool question asked at the idea of securing the futures to a experienced stars much nearer to the end of their careers than the start.

Indeed, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no escaping the brutal reality that standards have dropped worryingly for both.

A Leaky Defense and A Costly Refit

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

Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to lose the sense of being untouchable he has carried since his £75m transfer 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 failing to settle at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also fought his own battles, as demonstrated by his desperate handball that conceded a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Sequence That Encapsulated The Problem

It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before backing away and turning away 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 curious trait of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost.

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

"Van Dijk surrenders possession and then he just drops 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 imperious, but right now he's making mistakes and hesitating."

Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void

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

He has, though, looked a faded version of his usual commanding presence this season, with the worst recoveries per game during his Liverpool career, while defensive actions 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 absent here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked clueless to grab the game by the initiative.

Van Dijk's difficult night, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an emergency striker, was indicative of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the standard.

A Side Without Spark

Slot kept faith with the side that stopped 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 turned to him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, 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 been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending.

A late scare 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 fading champions ultimately had to accept the 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 slow, unimaginative and devoid of creativity. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried scant belief. Showings like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled.

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, self-believing and a genuine threat.

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 back to the drawing board.