🔗 Share this article A Diminished Presence of His Imperious Self - Liverpool's Captain Battles Decline The glaring spotlight that has fallen upon one global Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's latest disappointing night. Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his subpar performances this season - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as Sunderland came to town on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the array of top honors, whose poor form became the focus during the draw. The Veteran Duo and Renewed Terms Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool eyebrow raised at the prospect of offering extensions to a experienced stars much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Truly, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no escaping the harsh truth that performance has dipped concerningly for both. A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department began a £450m summer refit that has yet to prove anything like value for money. At the same time, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has faced additional challenges by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the renowned star has also had significant difficulties, as demonstrated by his rash handball that conceded a penalty in the significant 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 merited lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before standing off and turning his back 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 peculiar tendency of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment. Misfortune at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his atypical failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "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 dominant, but right now he's erring and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature must not be discarded 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 shadow 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 packed with experience, it was missing 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 last resort of acting as an makeshift forward, was indicative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the rule. Liverpool Without Spark Slot persisted 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 pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after opening his account with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday. Slot would have been under greater pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not deflected in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation 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 dribbled past keeper Alisson. Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead Slot and his fading champions 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 sluggish, labored and lacking in ideas. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried scant belief. Performances like this are the reason their defense of their crown has fallen apart. But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were proactive, self-believing and dangerous. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have embraced 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.
The glaring spotlight that has fallen upon one global Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's latest disappointing night. Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his subpar performances this season - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as Sunderland came to town on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the array of top honors, whose poor form became the focus during the draw. The Veteran Duo and Renewed Terms Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool eyebrow raised at the prospect of offering extensions to a experienced stars much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Truly, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no escaping the harsh truth that performance has dipped concerningly for both. A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department began a £450m summer refit that has yet to prove anything like value for money. At the same time, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has faced additional challenges by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the renowned star has also had significant difficulties, as demonstrated by his rash handball that conceded a penalty in the significant 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 merited lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before standing off and turning his back 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 peculiar tendency of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment. Misfortune at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his atypical failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "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 dominant, but right now he's erring and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature must not be discarded 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 shadow 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 packed with experience, it was missing 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 last resort of acting as an makeshift forward, was indicative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the rule. Liverpool Without Spark Slot persisted 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 pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after opening his account with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday. Slot would have been under greater pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not deflected in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation 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 dribbled past keeper Alisson. Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead Slot and his fading champions 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 sluggish, labored and lacking in ideas. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried scant belief. Performances like this are the reason their defense of their crown has fallen apart. But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were proactive, self-believing and dangerous. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have embraced 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.