A Diminished Presence of His Imperious Self - Van Dijk Fights Waning Influence

The glaring attention that has been trained on one global Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night.

Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his subpar performances this season - and was relegated to the substitutes' bench for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday.

But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have collected the complete set of major trophies, whose dip in performance became the focus during the stalemate.

The Veteran Duo and Renewed Terms

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool concern voiced at the idea of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start.

Indeed, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no avoiding the harsh truth that performance has dipped concerningly for both.

Backline Issues and Summer Spending

Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team embarked on a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like value for money.

Simultaneously, 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 received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also struggled badly, as highlighted by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Sequence That Summed Up The Issue

It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that struck him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an curious trait 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 provoked with his uncharacteristic failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.

"Van Dijk gives the ball away and then he just backs 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 was impeccable. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and hesitating."

The Numbers and A Leadership Void

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature must not be written off 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 imperious self 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 absent here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked lost to grab the game by the initiative.

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 exception rather than the norm.

A Side Lacking Spark

Slot persisted 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 emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop turned to him for inspiration. It never came, 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 taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending.

Late drama 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 dribbled past keeper Alisson.

Praise Deserved and The Road Forward

Slot and his struggling title-holders ultimately had to accept the 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, ponderous and short on invention. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried little conviction. Displays like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has fallen apart.

But huge credit 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 fine work of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were adventurous, assured and dangerous.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic 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 back to the drawing board.