A Fading Figure of His Dominant Stature - Van Dijk Battles Decline
The unforgiving focus that has been trained on one global Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's latest disappointing night.
The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his poor form this season - and was placed on the bench for the second successive Premier League game as Sunderland came to town on Wednesday.
But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive bedrock as Liverpool have secured the array of top honors, whose struggles became the focus during the 1-1 draw.
The Experienced Pair and Renewed Terms
Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the prospect of offering extensions to a experienced stars much approaching the end of their careers than the start.
Truly, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no avoiding the stark fact that levels have fallen worryingly for both.
A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending
Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team embarked on a £450m summer overhaul that has yet to prove anything like value for money.
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 received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also struggled badly, as highlighted by his desperate handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
An Incident That Symbolized The Problem
It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before standing off and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that hit him and looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.
For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost.
Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his atypical 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 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 imperious, but right now he's erring and hesitating."
Performance Metrics and A Lack of Command
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 illustrious Liverpool career.
He has, though, looked a faded version of his usual commanding presence 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 exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked lost to take control by the initiative.
Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an emergency striker, was representative of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the norm.
A Side Without Spark
Slot persisted 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 pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective 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 taken a deflection 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 excellent defensive sprint 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 underperforming defending champions ultimately had to settle for a draw 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, labored 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 collapsed.
But full acknowledgment for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris.
The Black Cats were adventurous, self-believing and dangerous.
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 unhappy they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.
For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.
