A Shadow of His Commanding Persona - Van Dijk Battles A Dip in Form

The unforgiving attention that has been trained on one world-class Liverpool legend shifted to another on Anfield's most recent frustrating night.

The Egyptian forward has come under fire for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday.

But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive bedrock as Liverpool have swept up the array of major trophies, whose struggles took center stage during the draw.

The Experienced Pair and Contract Extensions

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool eyebrow raised at the idea of securing the futures to a experienced stars much approaching the end of their careers than the start.

Indeed, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no escaping the stark fact that performance has dipped worryingly for both.

A Leaky Defense and A Costly Refit

Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's scouting department embarked on a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like its worth.

At the same time, Van Dijk has started to shed the air of invincibility he has carried since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has faced additional challenges by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the renowned star has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his desperate handball that gave away a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Sequence That Encapsulated The Problem

It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before standing off 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 unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an unusual habit of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost.

Ill fortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his atypical failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage.

"Van Dijk gives the ball away 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 couldn't make a mistake. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself."

Performance Metrics and Missing Leadership

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be dismissed 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 faded version of his usual commanding presence this season, with the lowest recovery numbers 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 lacking here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked lost to take control by the throat.

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

A Side Lacking Ideas

Slot persisted with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more watching from the sidelines.

The Egyptian was introduced at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after opening his account 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 grandstand finish.

Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation 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 rounded keeper Alisson.

Credit Due and Looking Ahead

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 lacking in ideas. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried scant belief. Performances like this are the reason their title defence has collapsed.

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 fine work of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were positive, confident and threatening.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is indicative of the manner in which they have adapted to 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 time for reflection.