🔗 Share this article A Diminished Presence of His Imperious Self - Van Dijk Grapples With Decline The unforgiving spotlight that has been trained on one world-class Liverpool legend shifted to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his struggles this campaign - and was consigned to the bench for the second straight Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive bedrock as Liverpool have secured the full collection of major trophies, whose poor form took center stage during the stalemate. The Seasoned Stars and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely a Liverpool question asked at the prospect of offering extensions to a veteran duo much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Indeed, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no escaping the brutal reality that standards have dropped concerningly for both. Defensive Vulnerabilities and A Costly Refit Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's scouting department undertook a £450m summer overhaul that has not yet shown anything like its worth. Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has carried since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his desperate handball that resulted in a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Sequence That Encapsulated The Struggle It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that struck him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment. Misfortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk provoked with his atypical failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "Van Dijk surrenders possession 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 was faultless. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's slipping up and second-guessing himself." Performance Metrics 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 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 preserve alone in a Liverpool team brimming with experience, it was missing here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked bewildered to seize the initiative by the scruff of the neck. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an emergency striker, was indicative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the rule. A Team Devoid of Ideas Slot stayed 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 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 increased scrutiny had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat 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 dribbled past keeper Alisson. Praise Deserved and The Road Forward Slot and his struggling title-holders ultimately had to take a 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 slow, ponderous and lacking in ideas. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried little conviction. Performances like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has crumbled. But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were proactive, confident and dangerous. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have grown into 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 unforgiving spotlight that has been trained on one world-class Liverpool legend shifted to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his struggles this campaign - and was consigned to the bench for the second straight Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive bedrock as Liverpool have secured the full collection of major trophies, whose poor form took center stage during the stalemate. The Seasoned Stars and New Deals Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely a Liverpool question asked at the prospect of offering extensions to a veteran duo much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Indeed, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no escaping the brutal reality that standards have dropped concerningly for both. Defensive Vulnerabilities and A Costly Refit Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's scouting department undertook a £450m summer overhaul that has not yet shown anything like its worth. Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has carried since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his desperate handball that resulted in a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Sequence That Encapsulated The Struggle It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that struck him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment. Misfortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk provoked with his atypical failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "Van Dijk surrenders possession 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 was faultless. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's slipping up and second-guessing himself." Performance Metrics 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 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 preserve alone in a Liverpool team brimming with experience, it was missing here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked bewildered to seize the initiative by the scruff of the neck. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an emergency striker, was indicative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the rule. A Team Devoid of Ideas Slot stayed 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 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 increased scrutiny had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat 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 dribbled past keeper Alisson. Praise Deserved and The Road Forward Slot and his struggling title-holders ultimately had to take a 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 slow, ponderous and lacking in ideas. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried little conviction. Performances like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has crumbled. But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were proactive, confident and dangerous. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have grown into 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.