🔗 Share this article A Shadow of His Imperious Self - Liverpool's Captain Battles Decline The glaring attention that has centered around one world-class Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's latest desperate night. The Egyptian forward has faced examination for his poor form this campaign - and was consigned to the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the complete set of major prizes, whose struggles came under the microscope during the stalemate. The Seasoned Stars and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the idea of securing the futures to a experienced stars much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Truly, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no escaping the stark fact that performance has dipped worryingly for both. Backline Issues and A Major Overhaul Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee began a £450m summer overhaul that has not yet shown anything like its worth. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has carried since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his rash handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Encapsulated The Problem It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before standing off and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment. Misfortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just drops off. 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 making mistakes and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be discarded 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 pale imitation of his usual imperious self this season, with the poest ball recovery rate 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 absent here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked clueless to grab the game by the initiative. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an makeshift forward, was symptomatic of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the rule. A Team Without 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 pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also quiet after getting off the mark 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 dramatic ending. 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. Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead 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, ponderous and devoid of creativity. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried scant belief. Displays like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled. 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 superb management of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, confident 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 embraced life in the Premier League that they will be disappointed 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 attention that has centered around one world-class Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's latest desperate night. The Egyptian forward has faced examination for his poor form this campaign - and was consigned to the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the complete set of major prizes, whose struggles came under the microscope during the stalemate. The Seasoned Stars and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the idea of securing the futures to a experienced stars much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Truly, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no escaping the stark fact that performance has dipped worryingly for both. Backline Issues and A Major Overhaul Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee began a £450m summer overhaul that has not yet shown anything like its worth. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has carried since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his rash handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Encapsulated The Problem It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before standing off and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment. Misfortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just drops off. 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 making mistakes and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be discarded 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 pale imitation of his usual imperious self this season, with the poest ball recovery rate 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 absent here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked clueless to grab the game by the initiative. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an makeshift forward, was symptomatic of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the rule. A Team Without 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 pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also quiet after getting off the mark 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 dramatic ending. 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. Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead 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, ponderous and devoid of creativity. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried scant belief. Displays like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled. 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 superb management of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, confident 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 embraced life in the Premier League that they will be disappointed they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally. For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.