A Shadow of His Dominant Stature - Van Dijk Battles Decline

The intense attention that has fallen upon one global Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night.

The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his struggles this campaign - and was consigned to the sidelines for the second straight Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday.

But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive rock as Liverpool have collected the array of top honors, whose poor form became the focus during the draw.

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 concern voiced at the idea of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much nearer to the end of their careers than the start.

Truly, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no escaping the stark fact that standards have dropped concerningly for both.

Defensive Vulnerabilities and A Major Overhaul

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 still to demonstrate anything like its worth.

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

Van Dijk has faced additional challenges by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also had significant difficulties, as highlighted by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Sequence That Encapsulated The Issue

It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before standing off and turning away on a 25-yard shot that struck him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment.

Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his atypical failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.

"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just backs off. It's the incorrect choice. 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 second-guessing himself."

The Numbers and A Leadership Void

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be written off after winning 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 dominant persona 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 full of experience, it was absent here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked bewildered 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 makeshift forward, was indicative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the standard.

A Team Lacking Ideas

Slot stayed with the side that halted 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 looked 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 increased scrutiny had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale.

Late drama 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 dribbled past keeper Alisson.

Praise Deserved 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 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 sluggish, ponderous and short on invention. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried scant belief. Displays like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has collapsed.

But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the excellent coaching 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 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 back to the drawing board.