🔗 Share this article A Shadow of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Battles Decline The intense spotlight that has centered around one elite Liverpool icon shifted to another on Anfield's most recent frustrating night. The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his poor form this campaign - and was relegated to the bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive bedrock as Liverpool have secured the complete set of top honors, whose struggles became the focus during the stalemate. The Veteran Duo and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the idea of securing the futures to a veteran duo 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 stark fact that performance has dipped alarmingly for both. Backline Issues and A Costly Refit Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee embarked on a £450m summer overhaul that has not yet shown anything like its worth. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the air of invincibility he has possessed since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the renowned star has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his rash handball that resulted in a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Moment That Encapsulated The Problem It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating 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 unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost. Misfortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk provoked with his unusual failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "Van Dijk loses the ball 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 erring and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and Missing Leadership As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be written off 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 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 preserve alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked lost to take control by the throat. Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an makeshift forward, was representative of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the standard. Liverpool Devoid of Ideas 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 came on 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 ineffective 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 taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat 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 lethargic, unimaginative and lacking in ideas. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried scant belief. Showings like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled. But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being rewarded for a summer of notable ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the excellent coaching of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were adventurous, confident and threatening. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling 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 a case of going back to basics.
The intense spotlight that has centered around one elite Liverpool icon shifted to another on Anfield's most recent frustrating night. The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his poor form this campaign - and was relegated to the bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive bedrock as Liverpool have secured the complete set of top honors, whose struggles became the focus during the stalemate. The Veteran Duo and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the idea of securing the futures to a veteran duo 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 stark fact that performance has dipped alarmingly for both. Backline Issues and A Costly Refit Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee embarked on a £450m summer overhaul that has not yet shown anything like its worth. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the air of invincibility he has possessed since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the renowned star has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his rash handball that resulted in a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Moment That Encapsulated The Problem It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating 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 unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost. Misfortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk provoked with his unusual failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "Van Dijk loses the ball 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 erring and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and Missing Leadership As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be written off 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 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 preserve alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked lost to take control by the throat. Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an makeshift forward, was representative of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the standard. Liverpool Devoid of Ideas 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 came on 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 ineffective 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 taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat 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 lethargic, unimaginative and lacking in ideas. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried scant belief. Showings like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled. But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being rewarded for a summer of notable ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the excellent coaching of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were adventurous, confident and threatening. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling 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 a case of going back to basics.