🔗 Share this article A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Grapples With A Dip in Form The glaring focus that has fallen upon one world-class Liverpool legend turned to another on Anfield's fresh frustrating night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his poor form this campaign - and was placed on the sidelines for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive foundation as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of top honors, whose struggles took center stage during the 1-1 draw. The Seasoned Stars and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed high-value 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. In fact, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no denying the stark fact that levels have fallen alarmingly for both. A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department undertook a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like a good return. Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the aura of invulnerability he has possessed since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that resulted in a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Summed Up The Struggle It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before backing away and turning away 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 detriment. Ill fortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual failure to act decisively, 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 was faultless. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's erring and hesitating." The Numbers and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature must not be written off after securing two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar Liverpool career. He has, though, looked a shadow of his usual dominant persona this season, with the lowest recovery numbers 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 sole responsibility alone in a Liverpool team full of experience, it was lacking here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked clueless to seize the initiative by the initiative. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an makeshift forward, was symptomatic 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 Inspiration 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 emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on 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 deflected in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending. A late scare 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. Credit Due and The Road Forward Slot and his underperforming defending champions ultimately had to take a 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. Displays like this are the reason their title defence has fallen apart. But full acknowledgment for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being rewarded for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the excellent coaching of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, self-believing and a genuine threat. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have adapted to 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 a case of going back to basics.
The glaring focus that has fallen upon one world-class Liverpool legend turned to another on Anfield's fresh frustrating night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his poor form this campaign - and was placed on the sidelines for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive foundation as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of top honors, whose struggles took center stage during the 1-1 draw. The Seasoned Stars and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed high-value 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. In fact, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no denying the stark fact that levels have fallen alarmingly for both. A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department undertook a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like a good return. Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the aura of invulnerability he has possessed since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that resulted in a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Summed Up The Struggle It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before backing away and turning away 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 detriment. Ill fortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual failure to act decisively, 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 was faultless. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's erring and hesitating." The Numbers and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature must not be written off after securing two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar Liverpool career. He has, though, looked a shadow of his usual dominant persona this season, with the lowest recovery numbers 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 sole responsibility alone in a Liverpool team full of experience, it was lacking here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked clueless to seize the initiative by the initiative. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an makeshift forward, was symptomatic 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 Inspiration 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 emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on 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 deflected in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending. A late scare 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. Credit Due and The Road Forward Slot and his underperforming defending champions ultimately had to take a 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. Displays like this are the reason their title defence has fallen apart. But full acknowledgment for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being rewarded for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the excellent coaching of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, self-believing and a genuine threat. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have adapted to 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 a case of going back to basics.