A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Van Dijk Fights Waning Influence

The glaring attention that has been trained on one world-class Liverpool icon switched to another on Anfield's latest disappointing night.

Mohamed Salah has faced examination for his struggles this campaign - and was relegated to the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday.

But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the full collection of major prizes, whose poor form became the focus during the 1-1 draw.

The Veteran Duo and New Deals

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool question asked 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 moment of optimism - but now there is no avoiding the stark fact that levels have fallen alarmingly for both.

A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending

Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department began a £450m summer rebuild that has yet to prove anything like its worth.

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

Van Dijk has not been helped by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the renowned star has also had significant difficulties, as demonstrated by his desperate handball that conceded a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Moment That Summed Up The Problem

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 backing away and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that struck him and floated out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an unusual habit of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage.

Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his unusual failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage.

"Van Dijk gives the ball away and then he just retreats. 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 commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and hesitating."

Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be discarded 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 pale imitation of his usual imperious self this season, with the poest ball recovery rate per game during his Liverpool career, while defensive actions are also down on last season.

And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's preserve alone in a Liverpool team full of experience, it was missing here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked lost to take control by the initiative.

Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was symptomatic of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the standard.

Liverpool Devoid of Spark

Slot kept faith with the side that stopped a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more starting on the sidelines.

The Egyptian was introduced at the start of the second half as the Kop looked to him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, with £125m Alexander Isak also quiet after scoring his first with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.

Slot would have been under greater pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a grandstand finish.

Late drama 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.

Credit Due and The Road Forward

Slot and his underperforming defending champions ultimately had to settle for a draw knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson lucky 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 typical final push after the equaliser carried scant belief. Performances like this are the reason their defense of their crown has crumbled.

But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of notable ambition 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 telling 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.