🔗 Share this article A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Battles Decline The unforgiving focus that has fallen upon one world-class Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night. Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his poor form this campaign - and was relegated to the bench for the consecutive Premier League game as the Black Cats visited on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have secured the full collection of major prizes, whose struggles came under the microscope during the 1-1 draw. The Experienced Pair and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool question asked at the idea of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much approaching the end of their careers than the start. In fact, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no avoiding the stark fact that standards have dropped worryingly for both. Backline Issues and Summer Spending Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee began a £450m summer refit that has still to demonstrate anything like its worth. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has possessed since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the renowned star has also had significant difficulties, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Sequence That Summed Up The Problem It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited lead, Van Dijk losing possession 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 disadvantage. Misfortune at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual 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 was impeccable. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and Missing Leadership As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be dismissed after securing 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 imperious self 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 brimming with experience, it was missing here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked bewildered to grab the game 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 representative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the standard. A Side Lacking Inspiration Slot stayed 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 came on at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous 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 thrilling finale. Late drama 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. Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead Slot and his fading champions 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 sluggish, ponderous and devoid of creativity. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried scant belief. Showings like this are the reason their defense of their crown has collapsed. But full acknowledgment 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 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 embraced 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.
The unforgiving focus that has fallen upon one world-class Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night. Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his poor form this campaign - and was relegated to the bench for the consecutive Premier League game as the Black Cats visited on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have secured the full collection of major prizes, whose struggles came under the microscope during the 1-1 draw. The Experienced Pair and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool question asked at the idea of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much approaching the end of their careers than the start. In fact, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no avoiding the stark fact that standards have dropped worryingly for both. Backline Issues and Summer Spending Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee began a £450m summer refit that has still to demonstrate anything like its worth. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has possessed since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the renowned star has also had significant difficulties, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Sequence That Summed Up The Problem It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited lead, Van Dijk losing possession 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 disadvantage. Misfortune at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual 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 was impeccable. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and Missing Leadership As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be dismissed after securing 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 imperious self 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 brimming with experience, it was missing here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked bewildered to grab the game 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 representative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the standard. A Side Lacking Inspiration Slot stayed 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 came on at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous 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 thrilling finale. Late drama 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. Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead Slot and his fading champions 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 sluggish, ponderous and devoid of creativity. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried scant belief. Showings like this are the reason their defense of their crown has collapsed. But full acknowledgment 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 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 embraced 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.