🔗 Share this article A Shadow of His Dominant Stature - Liverpool's Captain Battles Decline The glaring spotlight that has fallen upon one elite Liverpool icon turned to another on Anfield's fresh desperate night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the sidelines for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of top honors, whose struggles became the focus during the 1-1 draw. The Veteran Duo and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the prospect of securing the futures to a experienced stars much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Indeed, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no escaping the brutal reality that performance has dipped alarmingly for both. A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee embarked on a £450m summer refit that has still to demonstrate anything like a good return. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability 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 dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also had significant difficulties, as demonstrated by his desperate handball that conceded a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Moment That Symbolized The Struggle It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and floated out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage. Misfortune 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 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 impeccable. Every game he was imperious, but right now he's slipping up and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and A Lack of Command As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be discarded after securing 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 worst recoveries 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 packed with experience, it was missing here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked lost to take control by the throat. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an emergency striker, was representative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the norm. Liverpool Devoid of Spark Slot persisted with the side that halted a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more starting on the sidelines. The Egyptian was introduced 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 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 been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending. Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat 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 Looking Ahead Slot and his struggling title-holders ultimately had to take a point knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson lucky 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 devoid of creativity. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried minimal threat. 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 seeing the results for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were adventurous, 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 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 spotlight that has fallen upon one elite Liverpool icon turned to another on Anfield's fresh desperate night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the sidelines for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of top honors, whose struggles became the focus during the 1-1 draw. The Veteran Duo and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the prospect of securing the futures to a experienced stars much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Indeed, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no escaping the brutal reality that performance has dipped alarmingly for both. A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee embarked on a £450m summer refit that has still to demonstrate anything like a good return. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability 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 dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also had significant difficulties, as demonstrated by his desperate handball that conceded a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Moment That Symbolized The Struggle It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and floated out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage. Misfortune 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 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 impeccable. Every game he was imperious, but right now he's slipping up and second-guessing himself." Statistical Decline and A Lack of Command As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be discarded after securing 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 worst recoveries 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 packed with experience, it was missing here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked lost to take control by the throat. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an emergency striker, was representative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the norm. Liverpool Devoid of Spark Slot persisted with the side that halted a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more starting on the sidelines. The Egyptian was introduced 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 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 been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending. Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat 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 Looking Ahead Slot and his struggling title-holders ultimately had to take a point knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson lucky 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 devoid of creativity. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried minimal threat. 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 seeing the results for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were adventurous, 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 frustrated they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally. For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.