🔗 Share this article A Fading Figure of His Imperious Self - Liverpool's Captain Battles A Dip in Form The glaring focus that has centered around one global Liverpool legend shifted to another on Anfield's latest frustrating night. The Egyptian forward has faced examination for his struggles this season - and was relegated to the bench for the second successive Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive rock as Liverpool have secured the array of major trophies, whose dip in performance came under the microscope during the stalemate. The Seasoned Stars and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the notion of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Indeed, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no escaping the harsh truth that standards have dropped concerningly for both. Backline Issues and Summer Spending Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team undertook a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like value for money. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to lose the sense of being untouchable he has possessed since his £75m move 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 renowned star has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Moment That Encapsulated The Issue It was exemplified 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 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 detriment. Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his uncharacteristic failure to take charge, 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 was faultless. Every game he was imperious, but right now he's making mistakes and second-guessing himself." Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be discarded after winning two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar 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 sole responsibility alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was absent here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked bewildered to seize the initiative by the scruff of the neck. Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an makeshift forward, was symptomatic of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the standard. A Team Without Inspiration Slot stayed 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 was introduced at the start of the second half as the Kop turned to him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after opening his account with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday. Slot would have been under even more 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. Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation 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. 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, labored and short on invention. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Performances like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has collapsed. But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of notable 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 indicative 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 time for reflection.
The glaring focus that has centered around one global Liverpool legend shifted to another on Anfield's latest frustrating night. The Egyptian forward has faced examination for his struggles this season - and was relegated to the bench for the second successive Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive rock as Liverpool have secured the array of major trophies, whose dip in performance came under the microscope during the stalemate. The Seasoned Stars and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the notion of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Indeed, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no escaping the harsh truth that standards have dropped concerningly for both. Backline Issues and Summer Spending Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team undertook a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like value for money. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to lose the sense of being untouchable he has possessed since his £75m move 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 renowned star has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Moment That Encapsulated The Issue It was exemplified 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 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 detriment. Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his uncharacteristic failure to take charge, 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 was faultless. Every game he was imperious, but right now he's making mistakes and second-guessing himself." Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be discarded after winning two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar 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 sole responsibility alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was absent here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked bewildered to seize the initiative by the scruff of the neck. Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an makeshift forward, was symptomatic of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the standard. A Team Without Inspiration Slot stayed 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 was introduced at the start of the second half as the Kop turned to him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after opening his account with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday. Slot would have been under even more 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. Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation 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. 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, labored and short on invention. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Performances like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has collapsed. But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of notable 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 indicative 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 time for reflection.