A Shadow of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Fights Waning Influence

The glaring focus that has been trained on one elite Liverpool icon shifted to another on Anfield's most recent frustrating night.

Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his poor form this season - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday.

But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have collected the full collection of major trophies, whose struggles became the focus during the draw.

The Veteran Duo and New Deals

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely 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.

Truly, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no denying the brutal reality that standards have dropped worryingly for both.

A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending

Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's scouting department began a £450m summer rebuild that has still to demonstrate anything like its worth.

Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to lose the air of invincibility 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 not finding his feet at left-back. But the renowned star has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his desperate handball that resulted in a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

An Incident That Encapsulated The Issue

It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited lead, Van Dijk losing possession before backing away and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that hit him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment.

Misfortune at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual 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 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 erring and second-guessing himself."

The Numbers and Missing Leadership

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be dismissed 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 shadow 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 lacking here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked clueless to grab the game by the throat.

Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an makeshift forward, was representative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the norm.

Liverpool Devoid of Ideas

Slot stayed with the side that stopped 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 never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also quiet after scoring his first 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 deflected 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 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.

Credit Due and The Road Forward

Slot and his underperforming defending 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 sluggish, labored and lacking in ideas. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Performances like this are the reason their title defence has collapsed.

But huge credit 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 excellent coaching of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were adventurous, self-believing and threatening.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is indicative 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 a case of going back to basics.